


All You See is Glory

by Gingernutting



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dreamwalking, Hurt/Comfort, I am jumping onto the 'Lance trapped alone on an alien planet' train, Light Angst, Mild Gore, My First AO3 Post, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Season 1, Supernatural Elements, Survival, Vomiting, alien planets, explores the bond between Lance and Blue, heavily inspired from Life of Pi, lots of bonding moments between Lance and Blue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-30 08:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8526739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingernutting/pseuds/Gingernutting
Summary: Lance, after being spat out from the wormhole, was all alone on some distant planet with the Blue Lion, no hope of communication or contact with those he called family. Lance may be alone and in unfamiliar territory, but he wasn't going to go down without a fight.





	1. An Alien on an Alien Planet

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics are from Stars, originally by Janis Ian, tweaked by Nina Simone, so I don't own the lyrics in any way!  
> 

_Stars, they come and go,_  
_some are fast, some are slow,_  
_they go, like the last light of the sun, all in a blaze,_  
_and all you see is glory_

 

_-_

 

The last things Lance Fuentes remembered he could count off his fingers;

  
1) Him, team Voltron and Coran rescued Allura.  
2) Something went horribly wrong getting away through a certain wormhole  
3) He had no idea where him or anyone else was.

  
Lance groaned, a ringing in his right ear as he tried to peel himself from where he was stuck on the cockpit floor, only for his shaking arms to fail to support his weight and he crashed back down to the floor, his left cheek hitting the cool metal. A low comforting purr hummed in the back of his mind, at least Blue was still with him.

"Blue...what are the readings?"

He gasped, pain blossoming in his abdomen and shoulder and his head was spinning. Lance forced his eyes open to look around where they crash landed, steam hitting the ceiling of the cockpit, a few wires sizzling and sparking from under the dashboard, and one of his lion's eyes was cracked, but he breathed a sigh of relief as the holographic screen fizzed to life. He was just able to read what the planet's readings were, even with his vision spinning and blurry. An atmosphere of 22% oxygen, gravity only slightly stronger than Earth's, and life here was carbon-based. At least he had a chance on this strange new world, and at least he had his helmet on. His helmet . Lance groaned in pain, but he could manage picking up a finger to push the com button by his jaw.

"Hey, this is Lance...does anyone copy?"

The radio was silent, then resorted to static.

"This...this is Lance, anyone copy?" He tried again. "Shiro? Hunk?...Pidge?... Keith ?"

He better make quick friends with the static on the other side, as that was all he was getting. A lump settled in Lance's throat, and not just from the need to empty his guts on the floor.

"...shit."

He wheezed, tearing his helmet off as he scrambled for the emergency hatch on the ceiling, managed to throw his torso through it to puke on the head of his lion, feeling delirious and light-headed, it wouldn't surprise him if he had a concussion from the...'bumpy landing'. Lance could hear Blue snarl disapprovingly in the back of his mind. It was dark outside, a shades of blue and purple so dark, littered with stars and distant planets, but the sky was starting the lighten at one end, must be dusk on this alien planet.

"Sorry Blue...p-promise I'll clean you up later."

Lance felt his eyes droop and the world started spinning way too fast, the pain in his abdomen and calf was starting to feel numb, and his ear was still ringing from what felt like the inside, so he let his body crash back to the floor onto his back, passed out cold, at the bottom of a hard, cruel new world.

 

 

Pain. Nothing but pain. Shooting from his calf and abdomen again, That was what woke Lance up in the end, that and his armour was...suffocating him, to say the least, and his black undershirt stuck to his back from sweat or blood or both, and to be frank, Lance felt like he was drowning in heat, on the floor of Blue's cockpit, staring up at a square in the roof, hearing the crash of waves and the soft whispers of the wind. Frantically, he struggled out of the carbon armour and peeled his soaked shirt away, now lying on the floor in the dark gasping for breath, sweat running into his eyes and hair, which was already plastered to his forehead, like he had just had his head dunked into a bucket of water. This planet wasn't like home, Earth was never this humid or hot, or at least it didn't suffocate him. Blue sent a feeling directly into his head, and if feelings could be translated into words, it would be something along the lines of _'are you okay?'._

“Peachy.”

He spoke aloud, even though he didn't have to, it just felt good to actually be talking, even if it was to a semi-sentient robotic lion. Blue sent another feeling, this time it was curious, not entirely directed at him, but rather at everything around them, this alien environment, a whole new world. Looks like even Blue had never been here before.

“Blue...where are we? You know this...planet? You know this galaxy, even?” He asked.

A sorrowful sound that hummed through the cockpit only confirmed his fears.

“Okay, but tell me one thing, is it safe to go out?”

Lance, through Blue's eyes, suddenly saw his surroundings clearly for the first time beyond the cockpit; it was dark, but he it still reasonably light, at least enough for him to see. They were lying on sand, embedded into it, black sand that sparkled and glittered, and inky water, that was also glowing a pale sky blue, the foam at the edges of the waves that lapped on the shore. When he looked to his left, the trees were almost like coconut trees, hanging low over the water, their roots twisting into a bank of land that gave way to lush forest and bush, and yellow vines twisted over the ground, with some sort of fruit topped with a white and pink flower sprouting off it. The sky was something to behold, dark blue, billions of stars, and two distant planets, a large one was swirling with oranges and reds, while a smaller one, further away, glowed an emerald green. Once his own vision came back to him, Lance felt his breath hitch in his throat. It was beautiful, but he was so far away, oh so far away from home. It put a lump in his throat, a stubborn lump that refused to move, and he let the tears he was trying to blink back roll down his face.  
Besides, there was no one left to see him.

 

-

 

Lance felt his body moving, like it was being gently being pushed forwards, then felt something cold and wet against his fingers and foot, and the side of his face was pressed against something grainy, and oh god it was in his mouth and hair.

“Mmm...Blue? Wh-what the _fu_ -!?”

He coughed and sputtered into the ground, the sand was everywhere, and now up his nose, and at least his body wasn't working against him this time, his elbows moved to support him, but every shudder and cough send pain to his abdomen. If there was one thing, if it was bad, it would have killed him by now, and he was still alive, so that was one good thing. His right ear did not pick up any noise at all, but his left one still worked! Plus, the water felt beautiful, and in this hot and humid planet, it was like liquid gold. It also went to show how parched his throat really was, and by digging his elbows and fingers into the sand, managed to drag himself into the water, far enough until he was floating, and his finger tips were barely brushing the bottom. For the first time since arriving here, he smiled, and he laughed.

“Blue! Are you seeing this!?”

The water was slightly thicker here, and crystal clear, and when he brought his fingers up from the water, it rolled off in big fat droplets, and it reminded him of the green food goop back at the castle, how his skin didn't even feel wet, but his hair and clothes seemed to disagree.

“This is amazing! Blue!”

Blue did look at him this time, not literally, but he could feel it, her blank yellow eyes on him, and that surge of pride she just threw towards his mind. Lance filled his lungs with air and dived under, daring to open his eyes. Small pink shells, though blurry, were nestled amongst the rolls of black sand, and small green fish fish, with long yellow translucent fins and tails, lazily swam in front of him, appearing just as curious as he was, and he didn't even care that his calf and abdomen were numb, in fact, the water seemed to be help if anything, then he looked down, and there was no mistaking the cloud of red that streaked through the water, and it was coming from him.  
_'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, don't look, just don't look.'_  
Lance repeated in his head, as adrenaline suddenly kicked in and his heart was racing and his arms were moving, in some sort of breaststroke back to shore, then he was pulling himself up along the sand and every movement made him wince. Why did he have to put this off for so long? Lance hissed between his teeth as he looked down where the pain in his abdomen was stinging. A straight slash, purple and bruised around the edges, but otherwise raw and bleeding. It didn't take an idiot to know that it needed attention. The other one on his calf looked like it had something embedded into it, a thin needle of metal, that entered his right calf, and it was deep, but at least the metal staunched some of the bleeding, it would still have to be removed though, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Blue lowered her head and opened her maw, carefully scooping him up, sending him into the cockpit. Lance was ever thankful that Blue was friendly, if he was stuck with Keith's lion...well, Red didn't exactly hate him, but if he was on fire and she just so happened to have a bucket of water, he was a hundred percent sure she would it spill on the ground on purpose and let him burn.

“Have I told you how great you are?”

Lance smiled, feeling Blue hum a small thanks to him, then sent him an image of a bag, shoved in a side drawer, right next to him. He didn't even know there were drawers along the side of the cabin. But he did vaguely remember Coran walking into the hangars with a bunch of bags like that the day after him and the others moved into the castle, ( _“You never know!”_ Was all he said when Lance shot him a look, he didn't even bother questioning how he got into the lions with none of their paladins around, because Coran had that eccentric weirdness about him that no-one questioned) The supposed drawers didn't even had handles, but when he pressed his hand against the blue tinted metal, the metal split, forming a rectangle, that he could pry open with his nails, and sure enough, one of those bags was in there. It looked like something from Earth though, not some high-tech alien technology, as it was a dark green, made from canvas, with two extra zipper pockets on the front, a loop with clips and a couple of carabiners was tied onto the strap, and when he zipped it open, it was lined with what felt like a waterproof material. If Coran was here, he would give him a hug, for this bag might just save his life. Trying not to move his lower body too much, he emptied the contents onto the floor, and was slightly amused with what he found; an extra two pairs of socks, a small bottle filled with water, as well as a spare change of clothes, dehydrated food goop and a first aid kit. Bingo. Lance popped open the box and tipped everything out. All he needed was something akin to disinfectant, and something other than his hand to apply pressure to the bleeding. Altean technology was far more superior to human technology, but this was very basic. It was better than nothing, for the most part, at least it had some gauze, pads that felt like cotton, a little device that looked like it would staple a wound together, and some sharp smelling vial of a cloudy liquid was hopefully disinfectant, for his best guess, and he took no hesitation in dabbing a few drops onto the raw flesh, and it _burned,_ and it coursed through like veins like fire. What was it doing, trying to disinfect his entire bloodstream? Gritting his teeth, he pressed the skin together and positioned the 'stapler', clicked it twice (and almost bit through his lip trying to muffle his cries) and forced the cotton pad to his wound, gingerly wrapping a roll of gauze around it, securing it with a safety pin rolled up with the gauze. Lance couldn't believe he just did that, having to take a minute to lay back and wait for his beating heart to stop, and the dull ache in his abdomen to become more bearable.

“Blue...you still there?”

The lights flickered inside the cabin twice. He was becoming more attached to Blue every minute, she was his only link to a place like home after all, and she seemed to be actually communicating back, almost like they could hold a conversation between them, between a human and a gigantic metal alien cat.

“Is it, y'know, safe? To take a nap ‘fore I do the other leg?”

A sharp hum filled the cabin. Take it as a no? Great, Blue was turning into his mother, but that wasn't entirely a bad thing. She even lightened up the cabin a little. Lance sighed and grit his teeth as he inspected his mangled calf. It must have slipped through a break or a joint in his armour before digging in, like a knife skimmed across his skin, and the faint outline of it bumped against his flesh, creating an edge he winced at when his fingers ran over it, despite the numbness of his leg. Shock is a pretty powerful drug, huh? Quickly inhaling air, one breath, two breath, three!

“ _Fuck! Jesus!”_

Lance hissed through his teeth, gripping his calf to staunch the bleeding, taking a moment to scream because _he just pulled a slab of metal out of his leg._ He would be worried if he didn't feel pain.

“Fff... _hah_.”

He grit his teeth again as he dripped some of that miracle liquid on it, as his veins burned, and this time he could feel the skin actually melding together, like snakes under his skin. Why he didn't feel it with his abdomen, he wasn't sure. Lance worked quickly this time, as he felt like he was going to vomit, with all the blood, and the pain, and just the general stress of being trapped alone a few million galaxies from home. Once the gauze was wrapped around his leg firmly, he inspected the area around him. It felt sickening, knowing that all the blood and gore on the ground belonged to him, and that the metal slab had small globs of crimson flesh still clinging onto it. Lance kicked it away from him, heaved up onto the ground, and before he could stop himself, that all-too-familiar lump settled in his throat and he tried, he really did, to not cry again.  
What would they think of him now?

 

-

  
  
_But it gets lonely there,_  
_with no one there to share._  
_But we can shake it away,_  
_if you’ll hear a story._  
  



	2. The Angels Can't Hear Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance decides that if he's gonna survive, he's gonna have to start surviving.

 

 _Some people lust for fame,  
_ _like athletes in a game.  
_ _They break their collarbones,_  
_and they come up swinging_

 

_-_

 

Survival mode kicked in not long after Lance woke up, sweating in a drying out pool of blood. First things first, he had to clean himself up. That and when he puked onto Blue. Wait, he’s done that twice now. He was almost as bad as Hunk back at the garrison

“Mornin’ Blue. You’re an advanced alien warship, any chance you have drainage anywhere?”

A small circle popped up from the middle of the floor, sinking back down again and leaving a three holed drain. Much easier. Now to find something to hold water that was not his mouth or the full water bottle sitting inside the emergency bag. Lance instead climbed up to the hatch in the roof, heaving himself out, and he didn’t know what to expect, but Blue was made of metal, and she had been sitting in the sun ever since the sun came up. Lance shrieked as his hands burnt and he slid off the side of her head and onto the black sand, which was also hot, so screaming the whole way, he beelined for the water, flopping in with relief. And he stayed there until the blood had left his skin and leggings, and it was comforting to be in water again. It reminded him of home, the long summers and the refreshing water, he wanted to stay, but he had things to do. Surviving, mainly.

Sure, the little amount of rations would be good for an emergency, but once those ran out it was do or die, and he didn't want to die just yet. Lance reluctantly slipped out of the water and ran towards the shade of those low hanging trees that sort of looked coconut trees but probably weren't. The shade was nice though, and it was a small bit of joy. Those yellow vines on the ground were the most interesting, with their turquoise fruit topped with a pale rose like flower, and Blue hadn't exactly told him _not_ to eat them, so he broke one off and inspected it. It fit snugly in his hand, and felt like a mango almost. He picked off the flower and dug his thumbs into the supple flesh, sticky dark blue juice flowed out and he licked some of it off his thumb. The juice was very sweet, and the texture of the strange fruit was soft and pulpy, and he dug his teeth in. It was very sweet, like strawberries, kiwifruit and mango all blended into one beautiful lovechild, with a minty aftertaste, hell, even the skin tasted pretty good. When he left this planet, he would take a bunch of these with him.

 _If_ he left this planet.

Lance shuddered and moved on, eating the fruit with both hands as he walked to the west, considering the sun’s position. His abdomen and calf didn't hurt at all, so a small walk was necessary. A few landmarks caught his eye; a rock that looked like a lion if you looked closely, a very sudden swirling blue sinkhole filled with water and thick tree trunks, as big as a lane pool that he had to walk around, and a cluster of fragrant pink flowers, that looked very similar to those Altean juniperberry flowers that Allura and Coran loved. He noted that he should take a seedling back to the castle for them. The sort-of coconut trees also had something edible on them, instead of coconuts, rather seeds, though they were the same size and shape, they were hard and Lance had to crack a rock against them, and it was filled with white fluff, like marshmallows, that tasted like a cross between sweet potato and taro, and Lance gladly sat down to eat a couple, suddenly grateful that Blue crashed them onto here of all planets. While he ate, a couple of chocolate brown rodent like animals bounced at his feet, with four deep violet eyes, pointed snouts, two large grass green leafy fans on their backs, a long rat-like tail with small fins running down the the tip of it's tail, and small delicate paws. Lance stood still as they regarded him curiously, sniffing the air and emitting high pitched squeaks.

“Hey there, little guys? Girls?”

The strange rats blinked at him, and stared at the seed half in his hand.

“Oh, you guys are hungry, you can have it, if you like.”

He gently placed it on the ground, pushing it towards them with his toe, he could always break open another one later. The rats seemed to squeal in delight as they dug into it messily, almost like the Altean mice back at the castle. Though they were strange, Lance was no stranger to things he thought were once impossible, and he found himself admiring the way they looked, as they flapped their fans and rubbed the fluff off the faces. He let them be and continued his walk. That's when he realised that the shell from the seeds could be used to transport water. _Idiot_ . Lance grabbed as many of those seeds as he could in his arms, and started walking back. From his position, he had to be at least a third of the way around the island, and it was far more bigger than he thought.  
  
The sun was still high in the sky, but it had to be around the afternoon, and with some simple maths and small timer on the dashboard of Blue, judged that the days were around two hours shorter than Earth hours. The work cleaning and flushing out Blue with seawater wasn't fun, but she purred gratefully the whole time, so he did something right. Pulling out Coran's bag again, he inspected all of the pockets, finding a small ball of strong grey string, a small sachet of what had to be powdered water purifier or the equivalent of space cocaine (he was sure it had to be water purifier), a pen filled with blue ink and a small notepad, a firelighter with a slab of metal and flint linked by a rope, and a silver pocket knife that when flipped out, could have the length of it changed and locked into place, and it managed to fit in the zip pocket of his leggings. If anything, the knife could possibly save his life, or it could at the least be useful for constructing something.

“Blue, mind contacting the castle and thank Coran for me?”

He got what had to be a laugh in response, but it was more sad than amused. Lance swallowed, grabbed the waterbottle and one of those turquoise fruits, and headed outside. It was getting too humid inside Blue, so he instead laid down on the inky sand in the space between Blue's gigantic paw and maw, sipping from the bottle and devouring dinner as the sun set over the water. If he looked closely, there was another landmass, a lot bigger than the island he found refuge on, far far away, barely a thin strip of land across the horizon, and Lance shivered at what could be sharing the space between them. A loud screech echoed around the forest, a swarm of screeches actually, as a small flock of birds, all with feathers that reflected the sunset and water, flew overhead, their golden crowned heads bobbed, and their wingspans lightly skimmed across the water as they flapped, and the steady beat of their wings was in time with his own heartbeat, and they were all flying towards the other island. If Lance had wings bursting from his back, he wouldnt follow them, but instead fly straight up, and follow the stars and galaxies until he found the other paladins, the Castle, or Earth. Lance felt a stab of sadness in his gut, and sighed deeply, digging himself into the warm sand a little more. The sky was dappled with golds and shades of peach and pink, with the dark blues and purples of the night slowly smothering the last light of day.

“Do you think they're out there Blue? D-do you think they're lookin, for us?”

Blue didn't reply at all, even with her head resting on the ground next to him. Lance felt a lump in his throat again.

“Blue...what if they're not? What if they're not lookin' for us? What if they're...what if they're.”

Lance couldn't bring himself to say dead. He couldn't imagine not being hugged by Hunk again, not cracking crude jokes with Pidge, sparring with Keith or hearing Shiro's wisdom again. Every time he thought of them was like a fist squeezing around his heart, how he may never see them again. They were like family to him, not just his friends anymore, but this rag tag group of very different people had somehow become his family. He could almost hear their voices, blurred and muffled in the back of his head. What if they were dead? What if he was all that was left? Even worse, what if they weren't dead, but so badly mangled they might as well be? What if when he saw their faces he wouldn't even recognise them? What if they couldn't recognise _him_? What if...what if he was better off dead, would they even find him and Blue? What would become of them? Would he have to live out his life on this island all alone, an alien in an alien galaxy, with nothing to show for the life he's lived? What about his family, the ones still on Earth, would they even know about all the great things him and the Paladins had done? Would they be proud? For all they knew he was dead, missing for the last few months when really, he was still alive, doing amazing and beautiful things he never thought possible, and he still thought about them every single day and every single time he felt like giving up, they would be there, inside his head, his siblings, his cousins, his parents and their smiling faces and joyous laughs...the family he left behind. Lance's head spun, lights dancing and flashing before his eyes and they started to hurt as he fell back onto the sand, staring blearily up at the millions of stars clustered together and the distant planets that hung around felt so close he could reach out and touch them, but when he tried, his body went slack and his vision cut out, the last thing he felt was his heart racing and the waves shifting the sand.

 

~

 

 _When Lance came to, it felt like he was floating, there was a lightness in his body and his eyes opened slowly. He was resting on something, something soft, and the was a cerulean blue paw with pearl white fur on the underside and in the shape of a band pattern around it extending to it's elbow, resting on his stomach, and a blue tail tipped with the same pearl white was curled around his feet. Lance quickly gasped when he wasn't on the beach anymore, but rather a windswept moor, straw like yellow grass bending towards the wind, and rolling hills surrounded them as far as he could see. A line of water reflecting the peridot green and azure blue sky, green and pearl clouds scattered the sky, with stars shining like pinpricks against the sky, two crescent shaped moons glowing over them. The wind ruffled Lance's hair, and it felt refreshing._ _  
_

_“Are you okay, little one?”_ _  
_

_A soothing low, ethereal and feminine voice filled the air, and when lance glance to his right, he realised he was lying against a lioness, a large, beautiful blue lioness. He must be talking to Blue, as this was just a dream. Her cerulean fur had bands of the pearl white around her body and she had a diamond shape between her eyes, small spots were scattered across her face and body and her glowing yellow eyes had a softness to them, a kindness that only she could show him here._ _  
_

_“Where are we? Just want to get this out of the way”_ _  
_

_“Why, you are here in Altea, my home. I would have brought you here myself, but Altea is gone, at least, not in my dreams.”_ _  
_

_“Oh.”_

_Lance knew the lions were semi-sentient, but didn't know they had feelings of that depth. And they both missed home, horribly._ _  
_

_“You are troubled little one, I can feel it, and you know it too.”_ _  
_

_Lance rested against Blue, feeling the softness of her fur, her heavy heartbeat and the rise and fall of her sides as she breathed was calming, and he felt like he could stay like this forever._ _  
_

_“You know I miss them, don't you?”_ _  
_

_“That I do, it's okay to be worried, it's okay to feel scared, but it's not okay for you to go through it alone.”_ _  
_

_Blue had a point there. She was old, and she was probably very wise too. She was non-judgemental too, for that he was grateful._ _  
_

_“I...miss them. I miss Allura and Coran, Earth, my family, the others. I even miss Keith! I'd be happy if I was stuck on an alien planet with him, because, to be honest, I actually don't hate him, and I never got tell him that, Blue, what if he dies thinking I hate him? And what if he hates me? I-I don't wanna leave here with hard feelings, man.”_ _  
_

_Blue was quiet, thinking it over._ _  
_

_“He knows that you don't hate him, you've done much for him already, and he's done so much for you. Remember how flustered he got when you said you don't remember him cradling you in his arms?”_ _  
_

_“But I didn't! Well, it's...sorta blurry, but I know he was there and...oh god he did, didn't he?”_ _  
_

_A low chuckled filled the air, and she licked his hair playfully._ _  
_

_“If he really hated you, he wouldn't have done that now, wouldn't he?” She had another point there._

_“True, but what about the others? I-I was never thankful to Shiro, even though he's like a second dad to me, all that advice he gave me, how he always had a shoulder for me-"  
_

_“Shiro doesn't need a verbal thanks, you've already thanked him. He made you feel better, and that was his intention, and knowing him, that's good enough for him.”  
_

_Lance was feeling better already, still guttered, but it gave him some closure.  
_

_“I never told Pidge how I find her to be one of the most inspiring people I know, I mean, she's a four foot eleven badass! She's smart, and she's always so determined to find her family, I never mentioned 'wow, Pidge, you're actually one of the coolest humans I've never known.'...and I wish I took the time to tell her, sh-she could be dead for all I know, alone, on some planet somewhere, just like me."_

_“Pidge is wonderful, and you don't need to give her another ego boost, she already knows all that, and besides, you two are close friends, not everything has to be said to really be said.”_ _  
_

_“I know, but it still would have been nice to tell her, y'know?”_ _  
_

_Lance felt like he was writing down his last words for Blue to relay for the others._ _  
_

_“Allura and Coran are also pretty awesome, wish I could've told them that, because they are both also as badass as Pidge, and they should know that.”_ _  
_

_Blue licked his hair again, like a cat grooming him._ _  
_

_“And Hunk is too good for this world, he's my best friend, and he deserves the whole universe, everyone deserves his kindness, I swear, he'll end up killing Zarkon with a hug too tight or something. Scratch that, he deserves way more than that, but the universe should suffice. Blue, If I don't make it out of here, promise me you'll give him the whole universe.”_ _  
_

_Blue laughed softly in his direction._ _  
_

_“I'll see what I can do.”_ _  
_

_Lance had to smile at that, that and he could smile better with some of the weight off his chest._ _“But really, Blue, if I don't make it out of here, please...at least tell them that I'm...that I'm grateful that I got to be a part of their lives, because they...they deserve it, they've all had shit thrown at them, hell I've also had my share at throwing shit at them, it would be nice for them to know...that I actually really love them. They're like my family, yet they're far more than that and I...I just want them to be happy. They all deserve the whole universe, they all deserve so much more than what they have, they deserved more than what I could ever give them.”_

_Lance sighed, getting some closure, even if was all in just a dream, it was better than nothing._ _“Blue, can you make that happen? I know it's a lot to ask.”_ _  
_

_She purred and nuzzled his shoulder._ _  
_

_“I will do anything if it can make my Paladin, and those close to him, happy.”_ _  
_

_Lance pressed his forehead to Blue's, cupping her ears, their breathing in perfect sync with each other._ _  
_

_“And Blue? One last thing, If I don't make it, please bring my body back, back to Earth, because Earth's my home, and I know that if you were to die, you'd like to be at home too.”_ _  
_

_It was a heavy statement, but Lance knew in his heart he might not get to ask her this again._ _  
_

_“I would ensure it, little one.”_ _  
_

_“Thank you.”_ _  
_

_He smiled and kissed her head, her eyes closing in contentment, before pulling away, staring out at the hills and the sky, beautiful and soothing._ _  
_

_“Can we stay right here for a little bit longer? Blue?”_ _  
_

_When he looked up at her, she appeared just as peaceful as he felt, eyes closed and head against the wind, ruffling her fur. She turned to him and curled up around him protectively, a low purr in the air._

_“That would be nice, little one, now sleep, you have a lot ahead of you tomorrow.”_

 

_~_

The sun was what eventually woke up Lance, rays of light forcing his eyes open. When he looked up at Blue, her purring made him smile.

“Mornin' Blue.”

“ _Good morning, little one.”_  
  
-

 

 _Some of them are crowned,  
_ _Some of them are downed,  
_ _Some are lost, and,_  
_Never found_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, please correct me on anything and tell me where to improve!


	3. Sons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Lance gets some closure.

 

 _But most have seen it all,_ _  
_ _they live their lives in sad cafes_ _  
_ _and music halls_  
_And they always have a story_

 

-

 

Lance pushed himself up off the sand, pouting when sand got into his bandages. He picked at the gauze, realising that they had been on for an unhealthy amount of time, and that infection was likely. Surprisingly, the wounds didn’t hurt at all, so he considered it safe to peel them off right then and there, picking at the pin with his fingernails and unravelling the one on his calf. Oh ho. _Oh ho._ Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this. Instead of mangled and irritated skin, it was smooth and brown, only a little wrinkled from the moisture of the bandage, and there was a long knobbly pale pink scar, but he was just happy that his leg was back. When he unravelled the gauze around his abdomen, it was just the same, but with a larger scar running from underneath his belly button to his left hip, roughly the length of his hand.

“Jesus...holy fuck.”

It almost looked like the wounds happened a few years ago instead of a few days. Nothing on Earth could ever repair wounds of his state in such a short amount of time. Lance smiled and scrunched up the bandages, Blue opening her massive maw to let him into the main cabin, where he dumped the used bandages in one of those hidden drawers along the side and shoved the gauze back into the drawer with the backpack. The dream from last night was still vivid in his head, how could he not forget it? _He was literally holding a conversation with Blue,_ something he thought impossible, like, he knew she was semi-sentient, but had no idea that it was to the point where she could communicate with him in words instead of just pictures, sounds and feelings, even if she wasn't outright saying the words, he could hear them echoing instead his head. Lance took one of those large seeds and took it outside, breaking it open against a rock and having some of the fluff inside for breakfast, drinking the last of his water along with it. At least the seawater was drinkable.

 

Armed with the bag and a knife in his hand, as well as boots on his feet, he set off into the forest behind them, hoping if he could find anything that would help him. The forest was humid, and particularly dense, and he occasionally slashed arrows into tree trunks as a system of marking. The plants were very different, much of it was green, but a lot of the plants were shades of purples, blues and yellows. Lance came across a flock of the same birds he saw the night before, their feathers shimmered and camouflaged with their surroundings, and the clicking sounds they made were like music, and their golden crowned heads bobbed as they moved, and their long tails scraped along the forest floor where they hung from the lower branches. The birds, Lance decided on Rainbow birds (originality was dead anyways) and kept a note of them, they seemed to be harmless, even as he past right underneath them. The number of birds on the island kept growing, to a yellow and green freckled bird with four wings and a purple bat with white spots and wide yellow eyes that reminded him uncomfortably of the Galra. The mice like creatures he saw yesterday were fairly common, and they all followed him in families until he acknowledged them in some way, and when he sat down to eat, they squeaked and squealed when he gave them some of his food before heading off on their own ways. A species of dog, Lanced noted as suspicious, black and purple with scaly skin and violet fins along their backs, with four small beady white eyes, fangs that peeked from the corners of their jaws, and lines of white spots running along their backs, ribs sticking out from their skin, dirty white horns and spikes and spines around their necks and flanks that heaved with every breath. They didn't attack him, but lance didn't exactly view them as peacefully anyway.  
One plan in his mind was to find something useful. Lance was pacing forwards, when something snagged suddenly around his foot, sending him crashing to the ground.

“Nng, what in th-"

Lance stopped as he inspected what had snagged around his foot, a deep green vine that was loose and thick, perfect for rope. Lance chuckled as he cut it free from his foot, thankfully he didn't hurt himself as he fell down, and he made it his mission to cut as many of it as he could carry, coiling it in a loop around his arm, and drag it back to his base on the beach. He ran all the way back.

“Blue! Look at this!” Lance shouted as he ran up to Blue, presenting the vines to her and She sent him a feeling of curiosity. “Mind if I make a clothesline?”

Once he felt her brush her mind against his, he sent an image, of a bit of rope secured from an ear on her head to her shoulder, using the gap to hang his wet clothes on, She sighed, but she let him continue with his little idea, he was starting to smell and if he didn't die from the smell of his own BO, boredom would probably kill him. Lance pumped his fist into the air as he climbed up her shoulder, taking a few tries to secure a bit of rope, and a bit longer to tie it to her ear. Once he was done, he climbed down again and took some of his more bloodstained clothes out to the sea, kicking his boots off to stay barefoot, dunking and wringing them into the water, and Blue was amused seeing him gag on the smell of dried blood, but even more pleased when he finished his chore, and he tossed them to dry over the rope.

“Should only take a couple of hours, then I promise I'll take it down.” he pleaded like a child wanting another scoop of ice-cream. 

_'Okay, but don't forget about them.'_

Lance nodded and slipped back into the water for a swim, lazily beating the sun by staying in the water.  
While Lance swam, he wasn't just thinking blankly, he was thinking about the worst case scenario. What if the island wasn't as safe as he made it out to be? If they had to move, the other island over the horizon would be their best bet. They both agreed that until they knew where they were and if the others were looking for them or not, it would be wise to stay in one place for as long as possible, unless if the need to move was absolutely necessary. Lance tried not to think about it too much, as he had already tired himself out quite a lot over the past few days. He would give it another week or so, two weeks on the island, then they would start looking for the others themselves. As he floated back to shore, he closed his eyes onto the sand.

 

 _A soft splashing filled his ears, and sun beat down on his back. Lance felt heavy breathing against his chest, and his arms were hugged around Blue's wide back, only this time, they were in water. Lance blinked his eyes open and looked around. The place felt familiar, like a pang at the bottom of his heart, everything from the smell of salt to the sounds of seagulls squawking. At once everything clicked together._ _  
_

_“Blue, are we really here?”_ _  
_

_“You're still dreaming, but I thought you would like it here.”_ _  
_

_Cuba. She bought him back to Cuba. It was as he remembered it, he spent his entire childhood on, in and around this beach, the cool water and the golden sand, the sun high in the cloudless sky. When he squinted at the shoreline, at least a couple of kilometres away, the same shops were lined across the opposite side of the road._ _  
_

_“I bought you to my home, so I thought I would visit yours, you obviously loved it very much.”_ _  
_

_“Yeah, thank you.”_ _  
_

_“No problem.”_ _  
_

_As they swam to shore, Lance stared into the sea flowing past them, saw the flashes of silvery fish swimming in their schools past him, and the sand at the bottom of the sea, how it rippled and rolled from the waves. Within two minutes, with every powerful kick and stroke of Blue's strong legs, they were at the shore. Lance slid off her back onto the warm sand, burying his toes into it. The only difference was that it was quiet, there were no people around, the shops and stall were open, filled with stuff but with no-one inside, and the beach was filled with water but with no people swimming in it, and he was suddenly filled with longing._ _  
_

_“Is there anything wrong?” Blue implored._ _  
_

_“Well, there's usually more people.”_ _  
_

_“Close your eyes.”_ _  
_

_Lance did._ _  
_

_“Envision them as best as you can.”_ _  
_

_The families who smiled and laughed, the couples who kissed playfully, the children who played with their dogs in the water, the woman who owned the ice-cream shop, who gave the most generous scoops. The sounds filled his ears, and he felt more at home than ever._ _  
_

_“Now open them, look around, little one, we are not alone.”_ _  
_

_It was more beautiful than ever, Lance felt his breath taken away as he looked around him, it wasn't like he was staring at an old dusty photograph, he was a part of it._ _  
_

_“Everything here is as you remember it, just remember, you're still dreaming, try not to wake yourself up.”_ _  
_

_Lance nodded, and he laughed as Blue licked his hair. Standing next to him, he was dwarfed by her, and it seemed comical that no one batted an eye at a giant blue and white lion standing on the beach. She noticed this and shrunk down a little, so her shoulder came up to his head. Slowly, he walked around the edge of the shoreline, his bare feet covered in the water, and the dainty ink and white shells brushed past his feet._ _  
_

_“Wanna see the best ice cream place in all of Cuba?”_ _  
_

_Blue made a sound like a laugh._ _  
_

_“What is ice-cream?”_ _  
_

_Lance gawked at her and stopped with a look of disbelief on his face._ _  
_

_“What is ice-cream!? Blue, that's it, we're gettin' some!”_ _  
_

_Lance raced up the beach, his hand on Blue's shoulder as he stood on the footpath, tanned and smiling people shuffling out of the way as him and Blue walked through, and he found himself walking into an open shop, a bamboo windchime tinkling a little tune, and an olive skinned woman, with a web of wrinkles at her eyes and laugh lines at the corners of her lips, looked up from her book at the counter, the til had magnets with quotes stuck on and postcards from America taped on with sticky tape._ _  
_

_“Long time no see, Lance, what'll it be today?”_ _  
_

_A cabinet freezer lined with so many different kinds of the frozen treat made his mouth water, and Blue pressed her nose around the glass with fascination._ _  
_

_“Yeah, nice to see you too, a Chocolate and rainbow for me thanks,”_ _  
_

_“The usual? And for the lion?”_ _  
_

_Lance looked to where Blue was eyeing, at mango and strawberry, placed side-by-side._ _  
_

_“A strawberry and mango for Blue.”_ _  
_

_The woman nodded and smiled, she was wearing a long flower patterned skirt, and a white singlet, and her long black hair was streaked with grey and pulled into a ponytail, that cascaded like a waterfall down her back, and she must have been middle age. Lance was overjoyed at how real this felt, like it couldn't possibly have been just a dream. The woman took a metal scoop from a glass of water and made Lance's request, handing him his order with a napkin wrapped around the cone, and then got onto Blue's. Strawberry and mango what what his big sister always got when he went here with his family occasionally._ _  
_

_“That'll be ten pesos.”_ _  
_

_Shit, did Lance even have money? He reached into the pocket of his leggings, miraculously finding fifteen._ _  
_

_“Fair trade.”_ _  
_

_He smiled and winked as he handed it over, and she handed Blue's ice-cream in turn._ _  
_

_“You know I'm too old for you, Lance.”_ _She looked amused anyway and popped her til open._ _“You two enjoy!”_ _  
__  
_ _“Thank you!” Lance called back._

 _Once they were outside, he held Blue's ice-cream up, trying to stop the goofy smile on his face as her eyes lit up as she licked it._ _  
_

_“Like it?”_ _  
_

_“Very much, you earthlings have good taste.”_ _  
_

_He elbowed her shoulder lightly and they walked slowly while licking their desserts. It had been so long since he did this, walked along the sidewalk, guitar picking in his ears, even eating ice-cream, he thought he would never do something like it again, ever since he was called into space for destiny related stuff. It felt good to be back on familiar grounds. Lance only felt happier when Blue purred loud and deep._ _  
_

_“Wanna trade a bite for a bite?”_ _  
_

_She didn't even answer, but playful licked his own, chewing on a chocolate chip. Lance also liked her taste in ice cream, but nothing bet the good 'ol chocolate, though he might have to get the mango for himself next time._ _  
_

_“Anything else to do?”_ _  
_

_“Well, I got 5 more pesos…”_ _  
_

_Lance tried to read the newspaper of a man sitting on a bench they were passing. Saturday._ _  
_

_“...we could take a look at the market, get us something, eh?”_ _  
_

_“Sounds lovely, how different are Earth markets to the ones you've been to in space?”_ _  
_

_“For one thing, Earth markets sell things from Earth, y'know, no intergalactic trading system. There is always a bit of everything there though, lots of fruit and jewellery”_ _  
_

_Blue sent him a feeling of excitement, and she walked a little faster, towards a sound of music, and bustling crowds, that seemed to part as him and his lion strided through proudly, people of all shapes and sizes brushing and shuffling past them. Lance took the time to wink at a couple of women and some men who caught his eye, while following after Blue, who prowled the grounds with fascination, greeted by new smells and sights and sounds. Lance sniffed the air, smelling strongly brewed coffee, and food sizzling on a barbecue. A fruit stall caught caught their attention, as a man with a handlebar moustache and calloused hands beckoned them over._ _  
_

_“Everything, two for three peso! Why don't you try some? A lot cheaper than the guy on the other side!”_ _  
_

_Lance picked up a ripe mango, how it was sun kissed orange and a slightly warm red, and he found himself handing thanking the vendor and handing over three of his five pesos. His mother used to buy them on Saturday morning as well, take them home and make the most exquisite dishes out of them, served with chicken or chopped_ _into a fruit salad._ _  
_

_“Try this Blue, it's the fruit that ice-cream was made of. Mind the seed in the middle though!”_ _  
_

_They merged back into the crowd, and he held it out for her, and she took a small bite, skin and all, the juice ran down his fingers, but he didn't mind, he actually enjoyed it._ _  
_

_“I wish we had these back on Altea.”_ _  
_

_“Well, we have them on Earth, second best planet?”_ _  
_

_“Yes, I like it here, should we walk around more?”_ _  
_

_Lance held onto his own mango for now, he wasn't hungry anyway. Even walking around a bustled market in Cuba, it felt too real to be a dream, he could even smell everything around him and even eat the food, something even the Castle's most advanced simulation couldn't do._ _  
_

_“Earthlings have a fondness for pretty things too, I see?”_ _  
_

_He was interrupted from his thoughts as Blue stared at a table, a long necklace of small red wooden beads, broken at intervals with golden beads made of metal._ _  
_

_“Yeah, the women mainly wear jewellery, but everyone loves it, even if they don't wear it themselves, everyone at least appreciates it.”_ _  
_

_An old woman over the table saw them looking, her wrinkles and soft brown eyes looking them over._ _  
_

_“It's nice, isn't it?”_ _Lance quickly looked up at her when she spoke._ _“Four pesos, if you want it.”_ _  
_

_“I have two.”_ _  
_

_She bit her lip, then shrugged and handed it to them with a shaky hand._ _“It's a deal, young man.”_

_Lance handed over his last two pesos._ _“Thank you, ma'am.”_ _  
_

_She nodded as they both walked off._ _  
_

_“Hold still, just for a second.”_ _Lance stood in front of Blue, it was a very large necklace, and it slipped right over her head, dangling slightly._ _“There you go, now, you look pretty good!”_ _  
_

_“I thought I looked pretty good before?”_ _  
_

_“You did, you just look even better now! And I'm out cashed out, we should just stick to looking for now.”_

_She silently agreed, but they were both more than happy to just walk around browsing and looking at people going about their daily lives. For Blue, she was learning about her paladin's life, for Lance, he was seeing home for the first time in over a year, treasuring every moment. After a while, the crowds started to die down, and many started closing up shop, and they watched amused as many vendors haggled customers into buying something they totally would not regret later. From his memory, the markets closed at around two in the afternoon. They had been here in this dream for almost four hours._ _  
_

_“I've had a lovely time here, little one, we may have to go soon, otherwise you'll sleep the entire day away.”_ _  
_

_Lance felt his chest ache at the thought of leaving, and he had one thing he really needed to do, something that was burning a hole in his pocket, but the people here seemed as lifelike interacting with him in his waking world, so he was more confident and certain about doing this now._ _  
_

_“Can we...can we just stay for a little longer? We have all the time in the world doing nothing back on the island, we can afford to stay a little longer here, I'm sure.”_ _  
_

_Blue shrugged._ _“Okay, but only for a couple more hours, I enjoy it here too.”_ _  
_

_Lance breathed a sigh of relief._ _“Thank you, I just really need to do something, stay with me, please.”_ _  
_

_Blue pushed against his shoulder._ _“Little one, you know I'm here.”_ _  
_

_Lance smiled lopsidedly up at her. Homesickness was getting to him, and he didn't even have to think about the steps he was taking, as he knew the rout off by heart. He was going home. The thought of seeing his family made him smile. They would have probably missed him, at least he hoped so, as for all he knew, they were told he was dead. Him and Blue walked along the footpaths until it stretched into the suburbs. She held his mango in her jaws, insisting on it so he ‘wouldn't get too tired’.The concrete on his bare feet burned a little, but at least it felt like he was really here. They walked in silence, until the houses spaced out a little bit more. Many were lined with gardens, mainly of white flowers and roses, until he saw one at the end of the street, and there was someone outside, hanging clothes on a spinning clothesline. Lance felt his heart stop, and his feet rooted to the ground. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, all he had to do, was walk up to her. She was beautiful, strong and bold, just like how he remembered her, to her curly and frizzy hair in a bun, with the stubborn bits that always stuck out, tied back with a red handkerchief, her checkered red pinafore and creamy blouse with a tidy lace trim on the sleeves, a simple gold band on her ring finger, how her eyes had crows feet crinkling the corners and her face had laugh lines, freckles and skin as dark as his own._ _  
_

_“Go on, little one.”_ _  
_

_Blue nudged him forwards, and he found himself gulp down before moving towards her, unlocking the fence like he had a million times before and staring at her with his lip trembling. She looked up and had to take a double take, but they were both staring locked at each other in shock and wonder with the same sea blue eyes._ _  
_

_“M-mum?”_ _  
_

_She stared back._ _  
_

_“Lance?”_ _  
_

_She dropped her basket and held a hand to her mouth, her eyes crinkling up as small tears began to fall in disbelief._ _  
_

_“It's me, ma, it's me, I'm here!”  
_

_Lance stepped inside the boundary of the gate and the path, gulping as he didn’t take his eyes off her._ _  
_ _She took a shuddering sob and and ran towards him, hugging him so tightly he thought he might stop breathing, but he was also sobbing and hugging her back, and he held her so tightly, that he never wanted to let go of her, never again. Out of all the things he missed, his mother’s hugs he missed the most._ __  


_“My baby boy, my wonderful, wonderful baby boy!...Y-you've come home...you're home, and m-mama's got you, I'm here.”_ _  
_

_Lance felt a lump in his throat that refused to go down as he sobbed into her shoulder. Lance wasn't sure how long they stayed like this, tight in an embrace, until she sniffed and let go of him, smiling shakily and staring at him in the eyes._ _  
_

_“I can't believe, it's you, my boy...we were told you were dead, you, Hunk and your other friend, Pidge, you went missing just over seven months ago, they said...they said you were dead!”_ _  
_

_Lance wanted to tell her that they weren't, they were still so alive, and they had been accomplishing great things, they had seen things that if they told, no-one would believe them. They were more than alive, no, there were no words to describe just how alive they were.  
_

_“But, I’m right here, mama, I would tell you everything, but you may not believe me-”  
_

_“Seven months ago, I was told you were dead and denied access to your body...and you’re standing right here in front of me.”  
_

_Lance smiled and shook his head. Of course.  
_

_“Rosa, meet Blue. Long story short, she is sorta part of an alien superweapon, and I’m her paladin. It’s okay, we’re dreaming, she looks a lot different in the flesh, oh, and she is fully sentient.”  
_

_Blue followed Lance inside the gate, and she nodded her head at Rosa.  
_

_“Well, you’re one thing I don’t get to see everyday, pleasure to see you, Blue.”  
_

_“And you too, Rosa. Thank you for raising my paladin, it is a honour to meet you.”  
_

_Rosa smiled, the words forming in her head as the lion looked calmly at her with yellow eyes glowing. Rosa suddenly burst out laughing.  
_

_“Okay, so this is a dream, Lance, you told me, I’ve hugged my thought-to-be-dead son, and talked to a beautiful blue lion. Wow.”  
_

_Blue had to take a moment to take in, Lance and his mother were almost copies of each other, same smile, eyes, kindness, one Lance was good, two were even better. It pained Blue that they may not meet again for a while, but she was doing all that she could._

_“Let’s go inside, have some coffee, and you two can tell me all about it.”_

 

_They told her everything. Rosa didn't interrupt, or shake her head in disbelief, she listened, with Lance’s six year old sister who was curled up with Blue on the floor, a look of awe on her face as she listened. Lance’s other siblings were away, unfortunate, but hopefully he would see them soon. Once Lance and Blue had finished their story up-to-date, the room was quiet for a bit as his stories sunk in.  
_

_“You’ve done a lot, haven't you?”_ _Lance smiled at that._ _“I have never been more proud to know, that you are my son.”  
_

_“Thanks, ma.”  
_

_She smiled at him and took a sip of her coffee.  
_

_“Lance, we have to go, I’m sorry.”_ _Blue warned him, and he sighed before standing up, turning to his sister with a half smile on his face that just showed a sliver of his teeth.  
_

_“Seeya Maria, don’t pester mama too much, and tell the others I said hi!”  
_

_“Yes Lance!”  
_

_Lance crouched down to give his sister a hug before he turned to his mother. No words were said as Lance and his mother embraced for what could be the last time.  
_

_“Good bye, my beautiful boy, when you come back, I’ll be hearing the greatest stories you have.”  
_

_“I’ll have them...I love you, ma.”  
_

_Lance sniffed and her tighter.  
_

_“I love you so much, my baby.”_

_As she started slipping away from him, he started to wake up, everything surrounded in a blinding white light, and he still had his arm reached out for her, and he never wanted to let her go._

 

_-_

 

Lance woke up, the events of his dream racing through his head. The water came up to his calves, and he was pressed against the black sand. Something was heavy on his chest, when he felt his fingers reach up to touch, they clasped around a string of red and gold beads, twined around the mango he didn’t eat. Lance smiled and glanced over at Blue. He wasn't sure how she did it, but it made him that much happier. His fingers curled around the fruit and beads, a simple reminder of home, and from an incredibly blissful and freeing dream.

 _“_ Blue... _thank you.”_

He barely got a response, just a small feeling of warmth. She must be mentally tired, he didn’t blame her. Lance had mango for breakfast that morning, and savoured every bite.

 

_-_

 

_Millions of galaxies away, Rosa Fuentes awoke in the middle of the night, hugging her pillow close with her cheeks tear stained in the darkness. She wasn't sad, she was happy. After all, this dream felt far too real, and she clung onto hope that her son was still out there. And if he was, she still loved him, and she knew that he still loved her._

 

-

  
_Some people make it when they're young_ _  
_ _Before the world has done its dirty job._ _  
_ _And later on someone will say;_ _  
_ _“You've had your day, now you must make way.”_ _  
_ _Don't they always?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I am always up for a chat on my tumblr, where I also take requests @gingernutting!


	4. Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lance learns that the island is not at all what it seems.

_But you'll never know the pain, of using a name_ _  
_ _you never owned,_ _  
_ _The years of forgetting what you know too well._  
_That you who gave the crown have been let down,_  
_You try to make amends, without defending..._

 

_-_

Lance walked a little straighter, his back less hunched and his stance a little stronger. The beads from his dream were definitely there, the cord was long, so it was draped in three long loops around his neck that hung down to his chest. He even made use of a shirt, securing it to his head with a bit of the blue vine and letting it shade his neck, back, and the sides of his face. Who knew that just a little bit of shade could make life so much easier? Blue was being very quiet this morning, and he didn't blame her, how she managed to get things from their joint dream out into the physical world, it must have taken a lot out of her. A long bit of driftwood that went a head over Lance's head and was as thick as his arm served as a good walking pole, as he mapped out the rest of the island, noting the old landmarks such as the sinkhole and lion shaped rock, and new ones, such as a large black boulder, pocked with holes, in a perfect circle, and a circle in the middle of the trees, where nothing grew inside it, just pure dry pale brown dirt, that was warm to the touch. Lance wiped the sweat from his brow and took a drink from his bottle, which he filled up with the seawater. There was no new life to be found, apart from many flocks of birds all flying to the other island, many of them even had chicks clasped safely in their feet. At least some of the alien mice were there, and they followed him around, curiously watching him, until he acknowledged them, fed them something, or they just got bored and scampered away. He walked until Blue came back into view, and it only took him a day to walk around the whole island.

“Blue! Buddy? Kitty?”

Lance got no response. He deemed it okay to crawl back up her shoulder and take down his makeshift clothesline. Blue's head was lying on it's side on the ground, so he could crawl into the main cabin and dump his now dry stuff in there, crawling over the cool metal. When Lance jumped back down, his feet came into contact with damp sand. High tide last night? It would explain how he woke up in the morning.

“I-I'll be back soon, you'll still be here, won't you?”

No reply. She must have really worn herself out. Lance patted her, slung Coran's bag over his shoulder and set back into the forest.

 

The forest did not change much, only it was more quiet than usual. The soft rays of afternoon sunlight filtered in through the canopy of leaves above him, and it was still humid, but it was a bit more bearable in amongst the trees. There wasn't much else for him to be doing, he had a source of food, water, and shelter, but it didn't hurt to explore for a bit. He found it hard to stay still or keep his mouth shut. While he was here, Lance found some more of the pink flowers, and plucked a couple to stow away in his bag, as they reminded him of Allura and Coran, as he really was missing them and the other paladins. Leaves crinkled under his bare feet, and a light breeze ruffled his hair, which had gotten a little longer since he was last at the Castle, and strands fell into his eyes. Still, the quietness of the island got to him, without any birds calling and singing, and no scampering of the mice, or even the howls and padding of the weird dogs he saw a while ago. It was putting him on edge. It was unnatural for someplace to be so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. Lance couldn't take it, it was too quiet, it was suffocating, and the trees seemed too tall and the ground felt hollow under the leaves and his head was aching and…  
He ran. Away from this. Away from the dense forest that snagged at twisted around his feet and arms, until his legs were begging for him to stop and his heart was in his ears. He was running on pure adrenaline, as all he knew was that something was wrong, it settled in his gut like a rock, and he didn't know what, but something was terribly, terribly wrong. Lance panted and felt himself speeding up as he saw the blue expanse of sea up ahead, and he burst out of the dense forest and into open space, almost collapsing onto the warm sand. That was when the ground started to shake, and he felt himself running to Blue.

“Blue! Please! We gotta go!”

He banged his fists onto her maw, as she was still silent, no ounce of life in her. It was stupid, for him to risk his life, but he has already lost so much, it would destroy him to lose Blue, his only connection to the others, and the only thing keeping his sanity.

“Wake up! _Please,_ we have to go!”

Silence was the only thing he got in return. Panicking, he looked down, to see the crystal water pooling and swirling around his feet. Normally water would be his haven, but he was terrified. Lance crawled up into her main cabin with a grunt, and rushed over to the pilot's seat, where his bayard was still mounted into the dashboard. He sat down, and pulled the main ignition lever, and the lights glowed dimly, dim, but it was better than nothing. Lance wasn't even sure if he could actually pilot her, as to pilot her, they both needed to be as one being, and with Blue gone...well, only hope could save them now.

“Easy girl...easy.”

Lance pressed the buttons for the main thrusters, and he floored it on the main electricity pedal at his foot. Gasping, water was halfway up Blue's eyes, everything tinted in yellow, and Lance felt his heart sink as his feet were suddenly wet.

“Fuckin'...please, just _work, goddamnit!”_

He spat through gritted teeth, and slammed his fist onto the dashboard, running out of ideas. This had to work. This had to work, otherwise they would both be dead, but Lance wasn't one to give up easily. Electricity hummed to life, as the cabin lit up and blinded his eyes momentarily. His stomach lurched forwards as Blue didn't stand up, but began to sink, a stone in a bathtub type of sinking, and the cabin was filling fast. A low growl filled his head, and then the flow of water stopped, but there was still water going halfway up his calves. Then he remembered the sinkhole on the other side of the island, how deep and endless it was, and how soon they would be dwelling around at the bottom of it. That is, if all the water being sucked down with them didn't crush them into a heap of twisted flesh and metal.

“Good girl, easy girl.”

Lance swallowed as the light was slowly descending into darkness, and the cabin's lights faltered, flickered, then blew out entirely. He brought a hand up and gingerly held the beads around his neck.

“Blue?”

He choked on the word, and his voice was so small. The lights then pulsed, then stopped, then pulsed again.

 

_Warning._

_  
_ _Warning._

  
_Warning._

 

Lance shivered and crouched under the dashboard, the exposed wires sizzling and crackling. He was sure that Hunk had shown him how to do this once, only it was to hotwire a Toyota when they sneaked out of the Garrison one night. Blue needed an ignition spark, dangerous, but doable. There were four wires, one blue, one red, and two green. Hunk showed him, that if you wanted just the radio, you strip the green wires and tie them together, you want the steering, you take the ignition wire and the battery wire, and you spark the living shit out of them until the engine purrs. But that was back on Earth, and this was an alien warship. It was worth a shot. With the broken stubs of his nails, he peeled the gel back until he had a small ounce of what looked like a silvery wire.

“Hope this works.”

He muttered and struck them together, almost shrieking when electricity crackled and popped, a few sparks falling onto his face, lightly burning the skin. Lance hissed and wiped his face, splashing water over it, but he was far more relieved that Blue's engines whirred and growled to life. Lance smiled and leaped back onto the pilot's seat, grabbing the levers, igniting the main thrusters, and slamming his foot to the floor.

“Don’t you dare die on me! C’mon, we gotta get outta here!”

With what felt like his heart lodging itself into his throat, he grit his teeth and gripped the levers until his knuckles were white. The metal groaned and bent in some areas, as the water tried to crush Blue, grabbing her by the feet and trying to drag her down to the sea floor.

“Okay, more power!”

Lance had an idea, that he shared with Blue; his gun was pretty powerful, and a shot powerful enough might give them a much needed boost from recoil considering how close they were to the point of impact, aka, the ocean floor. The pilot twisted his bayard into the mount, feeling the superweapon, almost as large as Blue herself, grow from the metal, and the vibrations that filled the cabin as it charged up, but they were already close to the bottom.

Ten seconds till impact.

_Nine._

_“_ Almost…”

_Eight._

Lance gritted his teeth.

_Seven._

Blue groaned under the sheer power.

_Six._

“We gotta hold out, c’mon.”

_Five._

The inky black ground was like void about to swallow them, swirling and unforgiving.

_Four._

The gun wasn't even on full power yet.

_Three._

“Halfway!”

_Two._

The sand was swirling up around them, blinding, swirling, hungry like a hurricane.

_One._

“Fuck it Blue let’s go!”

A sharp twist to the left and Lance felt what was left of his hearing disappear, a low boom filled the cabin and shook the walls, as plasma splattered across the sand and drifted through the water and swirled all around them, jolting everything forwards and coating everything in neon blue light.

Blue was flying so fast, the glass of her eyes almost cracked as she burst out from the sinkhole, suspended in the air as they both stared at what they just escaped from. A deep blue sinkhole, and it ate away over half the island. Lance shivered at the sight. If it wasn’t for Blue, he would be crushed and drowned in those icy depths. He didn't even realise he was stroking her dashboard.

“Blue...thank you, let’s get away from this planet.”

_“I agree, let’s go.”_

Lance found himself staring at the planet, even when it turned into a tiny spec in the system. That planet, even though it tried to kill him, if it weren't for its existence he would have been dead long ago. The planet was a wolf in sheep's clothing, but he escaped just in time from its claws. He would rather be drifting aimlessly through space that be back on that planet, as beautiful as it was. Lance shivered and forced his eyes away, looking forward as he scanned the solar system for anything. He didn't look back.

 

Lance and Blue, after drifting through countless solar systems, passing numerous stars and gas giants, found just one planet that looked promising. It showed up on one of the screens, with a feeling of curiosity from Blue.

“Well, let's give it a shot, we've got nothing else to lose.”

Lance lowered the power on the thrusters, and allowed Blue to take over, as they nose dived down into the atmosphere, and Lance held on as tightly as he could, the water in the cabin sloshing around the cabin, and a shard of worry drove straight through him as the crystal water soaked the dashboard. They were falling what felt like an eternity, until they finally broke the border of the atmosphere. Large forest covered mountains like spines rose up from out of the ground, part of a continental landmass that was mottled with green lush forest, and was surrounded by a pinkish sea that glistened like diamonds.

“Blue! Do you have any idea where we are!?”

_“No idea, but we'll soon find out!”_ _  
_

Blue suddenly lurched to the right, as the wind buffeted them, and tossed them about like paper. Lance felt his heart race and his stomach felt like it was twisted into knots.

“Do you have any idea what you're doing!?”

_“Trust me!”_

Lance gasped as the lever and controls moved by themselves, and his bayard twisted to form their plasma cannon. They were still tumbling through the wind, whatever planet they were on, the weather was cruel and harsh. The as the cannon charged up, it buzzed through the cabin and rattled Lance's teeth, then everything seemed to stop, as it blasted at full force. If the half force was enough to propel them from a sinkhole, imagine what full blast could do.

 _“BLUUUUUUE!”_ Lance screamed as he was forced back, so fast he couldn't even move his head, and all the air rushed out of his lungs. They were headed into a dive at an angle, straight for the mountains. Blue had the nerve to smirk right into his head as she picked up speed, to his horror. “WAIT, BLUE! NO!”

“ _Yes.”_ _  
_

She swerved to the side at the last second, as her metal claws scratched against the mountain top, but she was still in a dive, swerving and weaving through the rocky spines and boulders. Lance thought for sure that he was gonna be sick. Finally, Blue pulled her nose up, and they smashed right into the side, and a large jolt echoed through the cabin. Lance gulped as his breaths turned shallow.

“ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?”

He yelled, but he was honestly happy that he wasn't dead. Blue sent him an image, of her claws deeply embedded into the side of the mountain.

_“But did you die?”_ _  
_

“Well, n-no, but-"

_“Then it is settled, little one.”_

Blue on the other hand, he could feel the rush she got from it, how power and excitement surged through her wire veins, and how elated she seemed to be.

“Okay, but can we at least be on ground? Like, not suspended from a mountain at Mt Everest height?”

Blue pushed herself away from the rock, and slowly glided down the side of the mountain.

“ _I have no idea what Mt Everest is.”_

“It's a place on Earth, I'll tell you later.”

 

When Lance was on flat ground again, he fell to his knees and just laid there for a while, steadying his breathing and just relieved to not be tossed around by the wind. Blue was still ecstatic, and he could feel her joy and energy along with his. All the water had been drained from her cabin, though stubborn bits of sand still stayed stuck in place. The air was not as humid as on the other planet, but it was cool and fresh, and he welcomed the fact that the sun wasn't as harsh here, his already tan skin had already gotten a lot darker in the time he spent on the island than in all his nineteen years on Earth (he was at least ninety percent sure of it, Blue was sure he was exaggerating), and he had a few more freckles along his body and cuts on his knees. The forest leaves were so many shades of green, and many of them were as long as his forearm, and some were as small as his thumb. The ground even glistened and shone, like he was stepping on gems instead of brown and orange dirt, and instead of rocks and stones, there were chunks of crystal and quartz, all different colours and shades, and he kept a couple inside Blue, a translucent green one was was filled with gold streaks and a smooth red one that when he held it up to the light, the middle of it glowed blue and green.

“It's nice here, isn't it?”

_“Indeed, little one.”_

Blue was resting with her head on her paws as he watched over Lance pottering around the clearing, inspecting this strange new environment, finding little trinkets. He held up something peculiar, a smooth yellow stone in the shape of a circle, that clearly had a carving on it, a monster with wild eyes, bared fangs, bat-like ears and a body like a horrible mutated centaur, with six arms, four in place of legs, fur, and a bladed tail arched over it's head covered in tattoos. Such a detailed drawing, and Lance gulped as he turned it around. On the other side of the medallion, it was unmistakably the yellow lion. It looked as menacing as the beast on the other side, but it had a halo around it's head, and it was surrounded with strange symbols.

“Blue...is this planet inhabited?” Lance shivered and stared at it.

_“I am not sure, anymore.”_

Lance stared at it with scrutinising eyes. It didn't look recent, as it was chipped and crumbled in some places, and cracks broke out around the edges. “We should look, if there is anyone here, we might be able to get some help.”  _Or a ticket out of here,_ was left unsaid. Lance pocketed the medallion and crawled back into Blue's main cabin, sat in the pilot's seat, and pulled out his helmet, switching on the main comm. “This is Lance speakin', anyone copy?”

The radio crackled and static filled his head. Scowling, he took it off and dumped it back down to his feet.

“Blue, can you perform an area check? Lookin' for civilisation, preferably.” Blue stood back up and leaped off the ground into the air, gliding lazily as she looked around. A clearing caught her vision, a few kilometres away, an hour by foot, but two seconds by air. She projected her vision up to him. “Nice one Blue, ready to crash in on whether they're doin'?”

_“Lance, we have to be peaceful, try not to scare them.”_

He snorted and took hold of the controls, slowly flying them over to land on the outskirts of the clearing. If these guys were of any help, they just might get hold of some long distance communication systems and reach out for the other lions or the Castle. It would be even better if they had already seen the others. Lance carefully exited the main cabin, climbing down to the ground to take a look. The place looked odd, tents flapping in the wind and the fence around it knocked caved in on some places.

_“I'll follow you.”_

Lance nodded and gripped the medallion and took a few cautious steps forward, his bare feet leaving footprints in the sunset pink dirt, until he was at the entrance, two large totem poles, both scratched and chipped, both of them had what looked to be something sawn off at the top. A closer look showed a yellow lion at the base of one with the green lion perched on top, and the other pole had the blue lion with the red on its shoulders. They were carved with great precision, and the lions looked more mammalian instead of mechanical, decorated with gems and paints that made them look so lifelike he could touch it and feel fur. Lance knew something was up when no-one came out to see him, and that the place looked deserted, tents flapping in the breeze, and tools and other everyday items scattered across the ground.

“'ey! What're you here for, trespasser!?”

Lance jumped as something yelled at him from a tent. A creature that reminded him of the Balmerans, with green scaly skin and hunched shoulders, large arms that looked like they could kill him, and dragon like feet, the creature also had a scowl on its face, and wrinkles, and squinted yellow eyes.

“Huh? I wasn't trespassing! Look, we're lost, and we were wonderin' if you could, I dunno, tell us where we are?”

“Whadoya mean we-?” The creature's jaw dropped as it stared up at Blue, who prowled into view. His expression quickly turned sour, and he pointed a finger at Lance. “Go away! Haven't your kind caused enough trouble here?”

Lance cocked his head, what did he mean, 'caused enough trouble'? “What're y'talkin' about?”

The creature screamed and stomped his large feet. “Whadoya mean? _What are you talkin' about!?_ You should know, you were there!”

“I have never been here before! Why else would I be here, askin' you where in the fuck we are!?” Lance yelled back, his hands balled into fists, and his lip curled. The creature was smaller than him, so his height had an upper hand if it came to a fight. “Blue, what is he goin' on about?”'

Lanced turned to Blue, and she seemed hesitant, almost guilty, even.

_“It was...a long time ago, before I was sent to Earth-”_

“Oh I'll tell you what happened! Sit down, boy, for you have a lot to learn.”

The creature, still not pleased at seeing him, held open his tent flap.

“Sorry Blue, guess you're gonna have to sit this one out.” Lance sighed back at Blue.

She seemed understanding of it. “It's _fine, he will do better at explaining this.”_

 

Lance was crouched in the ground, a bowl full of a red tea in his hands, the creature sitting opposite from him, sitting cross legged. A small fire glowed in front of them, and it flickered patterns onto the tent walls, casting shadows over their faces.

“What do you know about the Voltron alliance, boy?”

Lance shrugged. “Well, there's this planet called Arus in it, the Arusians are really sweet guys. That's about all I know. Something like if they need help, they can call for us and we go and help them, I guess.”

“I see, you are the Blue Lion's new paladin.”

Lance nodded.

“I remember the old paladin, she was a young thing, a young Altean who was so eager and enthusiastic.”

Lance had to take a second look at the man, eyes growing a little wider. “Wait, that was over ten thousand years ago, how old are you!?”

The creature shook his head in disbelief. “So you really have no idea...I'm sorry for gettin'...rifled up at you earlier.”

“Hey, no hard feelings.”

The creature laughed softly. “I would have expected ya to be forgivin'. Y'wouldnt have an idea what I am, I am a Gorali, and my name is Crayius. My species can live forever, and as y'see, I have lived for a very long time. What are the other paladins?”

“Well, we are all human, like me.”

“All the same?”

Lance had to think, and he tapped his fingers on his knee while he thought. “We're different, same species though, like, me and Hunk have dark skin, Pidge, Keith and Shiro have pale skin, yadda yadda.”

“So you're like Alteans, adaptable to your climates?”

Allura and Coran flashed in Lance's mind.

“Y-yeah, like that.”

“Ah, I see. Anyway, y'said that if a planet was in trouble, they would call for Voltron, and they would come and save them?”

Lance nodded and sipped his tea, which tasted like liquorice.

“What if Voltron is the one attackin' you? Who do you call then?”

A chill went up Lance's spine.

“The Black Lion, the most strongest and most powerful, her paladin turned against Voltron. Why his lion didn't reject him, they were uncertain, but he definitely made his mark on the universe. This paladin was a born leader, and was young and ambitious. A bit too much for his own good.”

The Black Lion. Lance had seen Shiro's fury with Black, and it was an awesome, but truly terrifying sight to behold. The sheer power and destruction that they could do, it was truly terrifying.

“Who was the Black Lion's paladin?”

Crayius held up a hand and sipped his tea. “He was a young Galra, by the name of Zarkon.”

Zarkon. Why didn't it come as a surprise?

“This Zarkon, he had plans for his own species, he felt that they were truly great, and they should be superior. Not surprised he thought that, Galra inventions were being used across the galaxy, and they were known for their intricate architecture and technology. They were way ahead of their time, and one of them just so happened to have a part of the universe's most powerful superweapon, so of course, he went on a rampage, destroying planets with races he thought were detrimental to the development of the universe, so that the resources on their planets could be harvested for Galra use instead. This planet, part of the Voltron alliance, was one of the first to go. We were an ancient species, but no where near as advanced as the Galra. And this planet has ample resources; woods, minerals and metals. He came, and destroyed everything. Lives were lost, even more than lives were lost. I've lost a lot.” He clasped a silver trinket that hung from his neck before continuing. “To rub the salt in the wound, he forgot about this planet, but only after he had his fun. Voltron wasn't there for us, Voltron destroyed us, and I'm one of the only ones left.”

Lance didn't realise his breath was hitched in this throat. Crayius sighed and the room was quiet, just the sounds of the fire burning filled Lance's good ear. “I'm sorry.”

Crayius sighed. “That was long before you came around, how old are you?”

“Nineteen Earth years old, I think, I don't even know what year it is on Earth anymore. He sat down and crossed his legs, his hands wrapped around the metal bowl. “If it makes you feel any better, the Black Lion's paladin is trustworthy, he was kept prisoner by the Galra, and I dunno what they did to him, but he can't even look at one without gettin' some PTSD flashback. So I don't think Shiro will turn himself over to the Galra anytime soon.” Lance chuckled quietly.

“Shiro? That's a nice name.” Crayius smiled and sipped his tea.

“Yeah...it is.”

Even at the mention of Shiro, Lance was missing him. Heck, he missed them all.

“I never got your name, boy. Spit it out.”

“Oh, me? It's Lance, Lance Fuentes.”

“That is also a nice name.” Lance mimicked Crayius's smile. “I guess you want to know where you are?”

Crayius changed the subject and leaned over to his right, pulling out a few rolls of paper, rolled one out, and set it on the wall. It was old and yellowing, and it was probably inaccurate after thousands of years, but it was better than nothing.

“This is the solar system you're in now, Altea was another two galaxies to the west. This is the Carinii galaxy, and if you can remember that you just came from the Carinii galaxy, someone on some other planet with better technology can guide you.”

“Can you tell me what planets?”

Crayius pursed his lips as he thought. “Planet Zafrani, one solar system over to the North. As far as I know, it is not a Galra controlled planet, even then, I only get lost travellers every hundred years or so.” Crayius patted Lance on the knee.

“Shit, thank you Crayius. Oh, me and Blue are sorry for disturbin' you.”

“Apology accepted, I hope you find your way back home soon.”

Lance nodded and waved him good-bye, walking out and heading back to Blue with a smile on his face.

 

 

They had set off almost immediately. If it meant finding the others or the Castle, Lance didn't want to waste any time. Lance still had lots of the seeds and turquoise fruit left in the cabin from the island, and the dehydrated food goo in Coran's bag, as well as an entire drawer filled with water.

 _“Is this the one?”_ _  
_

Blue brought up a planet on one of the screens, info taken from taking their information database signals. A neutral planet, with trade negotiations for the Galra empire. Close enough.

“Yeah, let's head down.”

Blue took hold of the controls again as they descended into the atmosphere, the blue waters and green landmasses looked inviting. It was around sunset, and the sky was painted in oranges, golds, and peach, reflecting off the waters. Blue's nosedive didn't last as long this time, as she halted to a stop on a beach, not far from a nearby city. The sand was yellow and silky under Lance's feet, and he made the effort to put a shirt on, his usual white and blue one. The city was silhouetted against the sunset, showing how it was on an island by a long bridge. Long green grasses bent to the breeze, and the water rippled and lapped against the shore. It wasn't glowing like the water on the other island. His helmet was on his head again, his finger on the comm button.

“This is Lance speakin' from the planet Zafrani, anyone copy?”

The same friendly ol' static noise burst from the other end. No luck this time. Hopefully this planet also had high tech medicine, as only being able to hear out of one ear was really annoying. Lance took a breath and started his trek to the city.

“You comin', Blue?”

She seemed to think about it, then she stood up.

_“This time, I think I may, little one.”_

Lance smiled at her, and she bowed down for him, allowing him to crawl on her back, and she headed off, her steps quiet, not to disturb the serene environment. Lance held tightly onto her between her shoulders, and combined with the lulling movement of her steps and just how exhausted he was, the last thing he saw was the orange sky, silver stars just starting to peep out, before his eyes closed and his breathing slowed. And for the first time since he left the island, he was at peace.  
He didn't dream at all.

_-_

 

 _Perhaps pretending...you never saw the eyes,_ _  
_ _of young men at twenty-five,_ _  
_ _who followed you as you walked, asked for autographs,_ _  
_ _kissed you on the cheek,_  
_you never can believe they really loved you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I could, I would hug everyone who has bookmarked, left kudos, or just read this fic, thank you guys so much! I am still up and about taking requests and prompts on my tumblr @gingernutting, and I love kudos and comments, which is slowly becoming my lifeblood and motivation to write. See you, hopefully, in the next chapter!


	5. The Greatest Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance discovers that what he's looking for is a lot closer than he thinks.

 

 _Some make it when they're old,_  
_Perhaps they have a soul they aren't afraid to bare,_  
_Perhaps there's_  
_nothing there_

 

_-_

 

Muffled noise was what eventually woke up Lance, that, and Blue gently prodding him up.

_“Little one, wake up, we're here.”_

Lance groaned and tried to ignore her. Sleep was nice, and he was still tired. And her metal back was surprisingly comfortable.

“ _Don't make me wake you up myself.”_

“Mmm...try me.” Lance mumbled back. Bad idea. She knelt on the ground and rolled onto her side, sending him sliding off. He had no-one to blame but himself for that. “Fine! Fine! I'm up! See?”

Lance stood on shaky legs and stormed around in front of her. Well, he couldn't stay mad at Blue. Instead, he sat down by her maw and gave as best a hug as he could. They weren't exactly inside the city, rather they were at the island, but on a sandbank below the bridge, hidden away from sight, and it was dark, but the city was _glowing._ Pale purple and white light provided them with a little bit of vision, and it illuminated the outline of everything, dancing on the water and blocking out some of the stars. The sole moon in the sky was half full, and it was large and mustard yellow.

“Thanks Blue, anyway, why aren't we in th' city?”

_“I wanted to let you sleep for a bit. And besides, it's nice out here.”_

Blue had a point, this planet was even more so like Earth, and it was serene, even with bustling city life behind them.

“What kinda people live here?”

“ _They are very similar to you humans, however, they have four arms, bio-luminescence facial markings, and many have four eyes.”_

“I can get behind that. See anyone cute?”

She made a sound like a scoff, but she was kind enough to send him a few images to his mind, one of a woman, with dark skin and multi-coloured dreadlocks, bracelets all along her four slim arms, wearing what looked like a flower patterned sarong and a black singlet. Another image of a man that looked a lot like Keith, with shoulder length black hair, long rose gold necklaces hung down to his chest and grey shirt, lightly muscled arms and almond shaped eyes. Him and the girl looked like they were in line for food, wallets out and notes in hand next to a brightly coloured stall, lined with trays of exotic food and plants.

“The people here are beautiful too.” Lance sighed and stared up at the city, before getting Blue to open her main cabin, and he grabbed his jacket, changed his rolled up leggings into some cleaner ones, he still decided on going barefoot as shoes now felt weird after not wearing them for so long, and grabbed Coran's bag, slinging it over his shoulder before heading back out. “You comfortable going in? You are going to get a lot of attention, because, y'know, gigantic-blue-lion-superweapon stuff.”

She chuckled and faced the city as well.

_“The city is a...soup pot, you could say, everyone of all different races gather here, this place, you could say, is like a hub for travellers. Not many people will see me as out of place here.”_

“Okay, if you're cool with it, now let's get naked an' go on the street beggin' for money, because I am starvin', and those seeds an' fruit can only taste so good for so long.”

_“I don't think getting naked would help you here.”_

“Pfff.”

She lowered her head anyways, and he climbed up between her shoulder blades, then she started climbing up the grassy bank to the city.

 

Blue was right, she wasn't too out of place here, as large ships and mecha took up the streets, she definitely turned some heads, but not many people seemed to mind. Speaking of people, there were so many races here as well as the local race, but there were so many other alien species, hell, he even saw a couple of Balmeran youth hitting the nightclubs, a pair of what looked like chameleons smoking in an outdoor bar in business suits, and a couple of well dressed girls drinking tea, who looked human apart from the large fins on their backs that dragged behind them as they walked. What really got to Lance was seeing a Galra family, what looked like a husband and wife from the silver bands on their fingers, with a small child in between them, holding onto their parents hands. For so long, Lance had only seen the Galra as the enemy, as bloodthirsty heartless creatures, and seeing them in such a domestic, peaceful way, it made him smile. There was a little good in everything, after all.

“ _There's a lot of food stalls around here you might like, if you want any, I would check in that bag Coran gave you.”_ Blue suggested.

Lance was sure that if she could, she would be winking at him. He took the bag from his back and checked in the pocket before finding a small zip at the bottom of the bag he completely overlooked. Lance zipped it open, to find a thick rolled up stash of notes, and a slip of yellow paper wrapped around it.

  
_You never know! Use it wisely!_  
-Coran

 

When Lance unwrapped the notes, they were all twenties, around thirty of them, and all galactic currency, which could be used on any planet.

“Hey Blue, you mind sendin' a message to Coran? Tell him that as soon as I get back, I'm gonna marry him.”

“ _Okay, don't keep your hopes up though.”_

Lance smiled and shoved them back in his bag. That stall the Keith lookalike was at seemed quite nice, and Blue seemed to know just what was on his mind as she guided him to it, dropping him off as she couldn't fit inside the small alleyway. The lighting was a warm orange, and it reflected off a few stray puddles of water on the cobblestones. As he walked around, he could understand everyone talking, overhearing about their daily lives, gossiping about their partners and cracking jokes. The Castle got inside your head like that, and boy was it useful. Lance pulled his jacket closer around him, wandering over to a queue outside the stall the Keith lookalike was at. Everything they were cooking smelt amazing, and the line was very quick.

“Whatcha want?”

A cook, a woman that reminded him of Jabba the hutt, being absolutely massive with a slug like body, had grey hair tied into a tight bun, and she was wearing a black apron stained with grease, and a cheap white blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. There was a tray that appeared to have marinated ribs in sauce that appealed to him, next to it, a sides tray that was filled with a flat papery grain.

“Uh, some of the ribs here and some of that rice stuff there please.”

He had to point out the trays, but she understood, taking what looked like a noodle box and filling it up with the ribs and sauce, taking a smaller box and filling it up with the papery grain.

“Anythin’ else?”

Right as she said that, another cook placed another tray down, filled with steaming flatbread with an alien version of what had to be butter and garlic slathered on top.

 _“_ Yeah, two pieces of the bread as well, thanks.”

She nodded and wrapped up two pieces in some sort of tinfoil-like metal then placed it in a paper bag along with the other boxes and a wooden spork.

“What kinda cash you got?”

“Galactic currency.”

“That’ll be thirty chips.”

Lance handed over two twenties and got a ten back.  _“_ Thank you ma’am.”

“Run along, sonny.”

Lance winked and walked back to Blue, who was waiting patiently.  _“_ Mind if we find a quiet place to eat?”

_“Not at all.”_

Blue crouched down for him again, and in less than five minutes, they were in a garden, the place filled with fragrant flowers, sitting on a hillside, looking down onto the city.

 _“_ If we visit each other’s dreams tonight, we could eat this together.”

_“Thank you, little one, but I am quite alright. You eat up.”_

“Wow, you’re like my ma, Blue.”

_“Well then, I could start calling you little cub.”_

Lance smiled and patted her paw. His stomach made a pretty good impression of a whale noise as his mouth started to water. It smelt so good. The ribs tasted like pork, and they were sticky, but it was like heaven after eating nothing but fruit and seeds for a couple of weeks. So many spices must have gone into them, like they were marinated for weeks on end. The papery rice was also interesting, it was like fennel and garlic made a beautiful baby, and it was fried up in butter. Best thing ever when it was eaten with the marinated rib sauce and the butter and garlic soaked bread. The bread was like naan, light and puffy, basic, but delicious. Lance savoured every bite and licked his fingers, sitting back to watch the city life.

 _“_ Not sure about you, but holy fuck, that was amazing.”

Blue purred deeply.

_“We're lost on some planet, but I’m lucky enough to be lost right here, with you. And that is truly amazing.”_

They were both happy, awake and happy. Funny thing how a quiet patch of garden and a full tum can bring so much joy, even more, was that they were sharing this  
moment together.

 _“_ Isn’t it lovely? I mean, just look above you, there’s stars, life, entire galaxies, and we’re just sittin’ here, starin’ up at it. We’re lost; halfway across the universe, but we’re _happy_ , now, what are the odds of that?” Lance sighed and leaned back, rubbing Blue’s paw softly.  _“_ I don’t even care that I’m not on Earth or in the Castle right now, that might change later, but you’re my home right now.”

Lance felt Blue’s purring deep and resonant.  _“I miss them too, but you’re the one good thing that’s come from this mess.”_

Lance smiled and stared up at the stars, with the most blissful look on his face that Blue had ever seen.

_“You have a day ahead of you, cub, sleep.”_

“Okay, wake me up in the mornin'.”

 

  
Blue did wake him up in the morning, with many other lifeforms streaming around them on their morning commutes, many of them in suits with briefcases in their hands.

“Mornin' Blue.”

_“Good morning, you're finally up!”_

Lance stretched his arms above his head and picked himself up off the grass, which was lightly dampened from the night dew.

“Know any information centres around here?”

_“I looked. There is one a short walk down there.”_

Blue sent him an image with directions to a small building, with large leafy plants encompassing it, and blue roses twisted around the pipes running down the side of it. Lance thanked Blue and started walking until it was on front of him. The door was made of glass, and already open. When he walked though, he was almost overwhelmed by the amount of colour in the room, and a hologram mapping the galaxy was projected across the entirety of the room, and a help desk where a local was sitting bored, and many computers in the walls, displaying options and maps (and the fact it had a bathroom was like a luxury after going in the grass for so long). Lance stood in front of one that showed where the planet was, and viewed the options, including a data log of all recorded flights in and out of the city, with comments about it. If any of them came here, in the slight chance they did check the data logs, they would at least know where he was. But instead, Lance found himself scrolling through the logs, coming across countless ships, photographs and comments, heck, hundreds came here every day. But Lance had taken a lot of slim chances lately, and he started to type:  
  
_Name: Lance Fuentes_  
_Home planet: Earth, Milky Way galaxy._  
_Ship ID:_  
  
Lance had no idea what to put there.  
  
_Ship ID: Vintage Blue Ship_  
_Comments/Complaints:_  
  
Lance held his tongue for a moment, not wanting to give much else away.  
  
_Comments/Complaints: Lovely stop, en route to neighbouring galaxies, heading North, leaving late today._  
  
Lance closed his eyes as he hit the submit button. Hopefully no Galra were recording this, and he left his next location ambiguous, so if they were indeed looking for him, they would only have as much chance as the others. He went back to scrolling through the logs. One log in particular made his heart stop and his blood run cold.  
  
_Name: Pidge Gunderson_  
_Home planet: Earth in origin._  
_Ship ID: Green defender ship._  
_Comments/Complaints: We had a nice time here, helpful locals, didn't find what we were looking for, but they were of great help. Heading to Angoria Visser galaxy._

 

Pidge was here, she was right here. What was the date of the log? Lance checked and his heart started racing again. It read 08/10/16. Lance's current date: 15/10/16. Seven days ago. She was here a week ago.

“Hey! You got a pen or anythin'?”

The woman at the counter seemed startled, then dumbly threw him one with black ink. Lance grabbed it and messily wrote Angoria Visser on the back of his hand. How far was that away? Lance brought up the map again. It was two galaxies up from him, but he had to pass a strictly Galra controlled area. It would be all worth it, if it meant finding Pidge and whoever it was with her. Pidge was like a sister to him, and she was important. She didn't specify whoever it was else with her, but he hoped to god that it was the other paladins, even if it was just one other paladin, they would be together, and they wouldn't be as alone in the galaxy. Lance placed the pen back down and ran out the door, almost tripping over his own feet as he ran up to Blue.

“Blue! We gotta go! Pidge was here!”

The sparked Blue's attention.

_“My sister and her paladin? Get inside, try the comm system, now!”_

Lance climbed inside her maw and into the main cabin, forcing his helmet on.

“This is Lance, Lance Fuentes, speaking from planet Zafrani, located in the Carinii system, anyone copy?” The comm was still static. “Maybe next time, but Blue, she's at the Angoria Visser Galaxy, you know where that is?”

_“Vaguely, I can get us there.”_

“There is a catch, we gotta pass the Galra to get to it.”

_“We evaded them once, we can do it again.”_

Lance wasn't so sure this time, but he trusted Blue.

“Okay, if you're sure, let's go.”

Blue angled her nose directly upwards, and in one powerful leap, they were shooting straight up into the wispy clouds.

 

Planets rushed past them in a blur, as they slowed their approach to the next galaxy, which looked beautiful from a distance. It was bright and glowed white, and it was shaped like a large spiral, with a burning blue centre.

_“We have to be quick, and shelter inside a gas giant. They can't see us at any cost.”_

Lance nodded and put Blue into hyper drive towards the galaxy, aiming for the outskirts, that showed a solar system made up entirely of gas planets. Because they couldn't be detected inside them, their best chance was to hop through gas planets until they eventually made it through the other side.

“What galaxy is this anyway?”

_“It's a twin galaxy to Angoria Visser, the galaxies are almost identical in shape and solar maps, this one is called Angoria Rispa, and is considered the younger of the two sisters.”_

They continued into a dive. The Galra had ships performing perimeter checks at one hour intervals, and if they could just miss one of the warships, they could get in without being noticed. Up ahead, barely a speck, a Galra warship was passing by the planet, and it had not detected them, so things were looking up pretty well for them.

“ _Hold on.”_

Blue took control and dived down even faster, and as a looming azure blue gas giant came into view, they plunged straight in. Lance tried the comm system again.

“This is Lance Fuentes, anyone copy?”

He picked up something other than static this time, and could make out low chatter, that hissed and snarled. He quickly turned it off when he realised it was Galra radio chatter.

_“Get anything this time?”_

“No.”

He lied. Blue didn't question it, as she stared deep into the system and her vision appeared on the screens. Many of the systems had twin stars, and some of the planets were solid. Only a handful held life in them though, but the planets were filled with valuable resources, why the Galra took control of this galaxy in the first place. It was home to many rogue planets as well, planets stuck without a system, wandering aimlessly through the galaxy, which may become a hazard if they were to crash into one.

“Okay, there's another gas giant a system ahead, I think we can make it.”

Lance lurched back into his seat as Blue blasted forwards, and ten seconds barely passed as they came to a stop inside the other swirling giant and waited.

“Did they see us?”

_“No, not yet.”_

Lance didn't even want to know what she meant by 'yet'. When he reached out to her, he could feel her anxiety, her fear and uncertainty at this. It was only kind to ease her up a bit.

“Blue, you called Green your sister, why?”

Blue reached out to him, sending him an image of the other Lions, this time with a feeling of love.

_“They're my sisters. Before we dedicated ourselves to this, for the greater good, we were organic.”_

Blue sent Lance another thought, this time of their dreams, when she was a proud, beautiful lioness prowling by his side.

“You weren't always like this.” Lance felt hollow. They were still very much alive, but without the quality of actually being alive.

“ _No, but me and my pride did it for the sake of the universe. We were close, my sisters and I, all Altean lions. Altean lions, as you know are different than your Earth lions.”_

“Yeah, you were Blue and white, not much different, but you had those markings, and those glowing spots on your face. You were all like that? I mean, like in their own colours.”

_“Yes. I still sometimes think I can feel the wind in my fur, and even though we don't look the same, all our memories are still there. Me and Red, she was called Donoma to us back then, she might as well have been made of fire, we always joked that she bursted from a volcano instead of a mother's womb. However, not all fire is bad, she was fiercely protective, what she lacked in size, she made up for in her strength, you messed with one of us, and you messed with Donoma. Her and Keith are very much alike, sure, she has had other paladins, but her and Keith are close, very close.”_

“Close as me and you?”

“ _Not as close, but they are close.”_

 _“_ Tell me about the others, what was Yellow like?”

“ _Maka? She is very motherly, and her generosity knew no bounds. She loved children as well, and she would often be around playing with Altean children. Sure, she had a crooked jaw, but kindness is a part of her, and she was non-judgemental. She was always fussing over us, making sure we were fed and happy, she was like that.”_

Lance could see it all coming together, they were a pride of lions, a family, close knit, like him and the other paladins.

“ _Abetyu, Green, was the youngest, she was playful, honest and curious. She had this habit of wandering off, and Black would have to come and drag her back by the tail! Abetyu is energetic and young, but she is wise beyond her years, and she is a true joy to be around.”_

 _“_ Her and Pidge were made for each other, eh?”

 _“By the looks of it! Winema, or Black, was our leader, she was the eldest and biggest of us. Winema has a strong spirit, but like Maka, she was nurturing, encouraging us to grow and be ourselves. How much respect she got whenever she stood inside the Castle, in the King's courts, everyone loved her, and she even took small princesses for rides on her back, it was funny, really, she would come back to us with flowers threaded through her fur, and she would keep them in until they got refreshed. Shiro has a lot in common with her, she knows a lot more about him than even he knows. She was the one who told me, when I was just a cub, 'there is only one way to save the world, be yourself', and I did, I saved the universe...by being me._ ”

Blue's voice went quiet in his head, that's when she realised she was mourning her loss. Her sisters, her pride and family. They were gone, right as they had been forced apart for over ten thousand years, and they were gone again. Lance knew exactly how that felt. Keith, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro - they were his own pride, his own family, and he lost them, but he was getting them back, and Blue was getting her family back, even if it meant risking their lives.

“Hey, we're gonna get your sisters back, trust me.”

Trust. They trusted each other, didn't they?

“ _Yes, do you trust me?”_

“Yes.”

Blue sent him an image of another gas giant, around a thirty second leap at neck-breaking speed from the current giant they were in.

“ _Hold on, little one.”_

It was a risky jump, and one they didn't think through, as sirens suddenly blared through Lance's good ear. They found them. A large ship appeared on the screens, it was coming in from their left, intimidating as it completely dwarfed them, cannon pointed at them. Blue sped up, and with a flick of her tail, a small missile was ejected and crashed into the side of the ship, and it did barely anything.

“Shit, whatdowedo!?”

_“Nothing can help us now, little one, unless we help ourselves.”_

The ship didn't retaliate at all, but it still followed them into the gas giant. Lance quickly shoved his helmet on, and let Blue take control as he quickly suited up into his armour, scattered around the cabin.

“Blue, you think you can handle the cannon? A few good shots should weaken it, then we head in and finish 'em off.”  

Lance jumped back into the pilot's seat, his fist gripped around the bayard.

_“Do it.”_

With a yell, he twisted it into its mount, hearing the whirr of engines and the crunch of metal twisted and crunching into the cannon. It took thirty seconds to charge, the ship wouldn't attack them, not when it was Blue they wanted, they couldn't risk damaging her. The cannon groaned and hummed through the cabin as it reached full capacity, before everything went still as it blasted a plasma ray right into the ship's hull. Lance grinned as the metal melted and twisted, space shining right through to the other side. But the grin got wiped off his face as an entire fleet was detected on the radar. Far too many, and they surrounded them.

“Blue, there's only one thing we can do, you get me?”

_“I know.”_

She shot another plasma ray at one of the ship's hulls, taking down two, but only two out of two hundred. Lance grit his teeth as they suddenly descended, straight down into the depth of space. Automatically, he reached up to clutch the beads around his neck as they plummeted. They could fall forever.

“How far does space go on for!?”

_“Don't know, don't care.”_

The cabin shook again, as the cannon was turned around, and it took down another ship, but it sounded much too close for comfort. When Lance turned his head to see outside, there were two smaller, faster ships flanking them, gaining in on them. They couldn't fire at them without causing damage to themselves, far too close.

“Blue, Blue they're gainin' on us, don't know if you noticed but…”

A jolt echoed through the cabin, and Lance's blood ran dry. This couldnt be happening, after they fought so hard against the Galra.

“Blue, are you okay!? Blue!?”

He grabbed the controls again, and pulled back his hands with a yelp as a mild electric shock zapped through him.

“B-Blue? Buddy?”

He choked up on the words, and he blinked a few times, now was not the time to cry, even though his lip was trembling.

“Blue? Wh-why arent you sayin' anythin'? Blue?”

Suddenly, a feeling of sorrow gripped him with icy hands, and the cabin had a chill to it, that sent shivers down his spine. It was Blue.

_“I'm sorry, Lance, little one.”_

Lance gulped and hugged his torso.

“B-Blue? What do you-"

_“I'm sorry, there's only one way to save the world,”_

She saved the world by giving herself up, thousands of years ago.

“Blue, don't you dare-"

_“-by being me.”_

The sorrowful sound in his head grew, it was like a song, singing a pure, haunting melody. Lance didn't feel any shame at the tears that spilled and ran like rivers down his cheeks. Zarkon wanted her alive, he couldn't have her if she wasn't.

“Blue, please...d-don't do this, think about wh-what you're doing.

_”I already have. Good-bye, little one, be yourself.”_

Lance tried to grip the controls again, but was met with another volt of electricity, and the lights inside the cabin dimmed. Blue sped herself up into hyperdrive, and aimed at the heart of a solid planet, when her aim was accurate, she sped up until the crack in her eye shattered.

“BLUE! NO! PLEASE!”

Lance pleaded and tried to take over the controls through his tears, and could only hold on for so long before the pain became too much. He sobbed as they broke through the atmosphere.

“Blue, y-you're all I have left, please, don't go.”

She didn't say anything.

 

_Lance then had a vision, he wasn't alone, he was in the field, Blue's moors, back in Altea, it looked the same as when she showed it to him in their dreams. Nothing moved, but there was wind in his ears, and he was being held closely by a blue lioness. Lance hugged her back tightly. She was warm, and it filled his entire being, but it didn't stop the sobs shaking his body and the tears running down his cheeks._

_“Little one, my brave paladin.”_

“I love you Blue, you're my family too.”

_“I love you too, be strong, little one.”_

 

Lance curled in on himself as he could feel Blue slipping away from him, and he clenched his eyes shut, bracing for impact.

 

_-_

  
_But anyway, that isn't what I meant to say,_  
_I meant to tell about a story,_  
_Because we all have stories._  
_But I can't remember it anyway,_  
_So I'll tell about the mood that's in the United States today,_  
_Permeating even in Switzerland_  
_It goes_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have full permission to yell at me now. There is one more chapter after this, thank you guys for reading and leaving kudos, comments and just giving this a hit, if I could, I would hug every single one of you and give you pancakes. I am still taking prompts and requests on my tumblr, and I love chatting and screaming about cartoons @gingernutting.tumblr.com!


	6. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance finds home, or rather, home finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for staying with me until the last chapter!

_But I continue away until I get it together…_ __  
_Some women have a body men will want to see_ __  
_So they put it on display,_ __  
_Some people play a fine guitar,_ __  
_I could listen to them play all day,_ _  
_ _But anyway, I'm trying to tell my story_

 

_-_

 

Nothing could have prepared Lance for this, the shock that rang through his very being, it rattled his bones, the groaning and crunching of metal, the dirt that filled the cabin and smacked him in the face as they skidded across the unforgiving ground at full speed, every metre ripping part of her away, killing her in an unceremonious ending. When they finally stopped, everything was quiet. But Lance wasn't. He only dared to open his puffy eyes when the alarms stopped ringing in his ear, and the last light of the cabin died away with her.

“Blue?”

He choked, biting his lip. He was so used to her presence in his mind, always there, always gentle and comforting. It was gone. Steam gushed from the walls around him and when he looked around, the cabin was almost unrecognisable, it was caved in, all the drawers popped open, and it was dark, oil slicked on the floor and wiring hanging exposed from the ceiling. Just the sight made him tremble. Lance lightly ran a hand over her dashboard, it wasn't alive anymore, it was just a husk, without her.

“Blue...oh, Blue.”

He sniffed and wiped his face with his wrist, trying to keep his pained breathing and sobs down. She was gone, but he was still here. What hurt even more, was that she went quietly. For something so full of life and pride, she didn't even scream or cry out as she rocketed into the hard face of the planet. It shouldn't be like this, they should never have come here, he should never have found her so long ago, then she might still be alive.

“B-Blue, I'm sorry...I-I'm so, so sorry.”

Lance slumped forwards and collapsed against the dashboard, his arms wrapped around the console as he sobbed into it, ignoring the pain that stabbed into him with every hiccup, cry and shake, ignoring the fact that his tears were getting into the cracks and dips of the console. Lance was alone, he was so, so alone.

 

How long had he been out for? Minutes? Hours? Days? It didn't matter anymore. Lance blearily opened his eyes, and then cried out in pain as he slumped back against the ground, pain shot up from his legs, and he could barely move them. Lance could barely breathe, it was like a weight was sitting on his chest, suffocating him. He had to get out of here, he couldn't bare the thought of staying inside Blue's husk. Not without her in it. Lance propped himself up with his elbows, and tried to reach for his bayard. If he was getting out of here, he needed his only source of protection. The action made him grit his teeth and cringe. His hand was bloody with a burn on the back of it that was raw and red, and his fingers shook and trembled. A slash that ran from his temple to his cheek stung and bled as he moved his jaw, the red rolling down his neck. Lance gave himself a quick run down: there was nothing penetrating through his torso at least, but his legs...he couldn't even bring himself to look at them without wincing. Even through the armour, he could tell that his legs were misshapen and bent at awkward angles, and he could feel something sticking out from his foot. This was bad. This was really, really bad. He let himself fall back, and reached above him for the contents in the drawer that was popped out, that had Coran's bag that contained everything of his. Blue landed at an awkward angle, so her maw was open just enough for him to crawl out, but even that would be a challenge. Lance gritted his teeth and pushed himself using his arms.

“ _Fuck...no, hnng…”_ _  
_

He clenched his eyes as his arms forced himself forwards, towards the opening. There was a drop from that to the ground. If he could just reach out, he could hang for a bit, then get the boosters on his back to lower himself to the ground. It seemed good enough. But he checked his comm first.

“Th-this is Lance Fuentes...Blue, B-Blue, she...p-please...just come find me.”

Lance's voice shook and trembled, and he had to stop the message before he burst out into tears again. Lance kept pulling himself forward, digging his fingers into the bends in the metal, as much as he hated it, using the torn metal along the walls as hand holds, pushing his mangled body until his torso was hanging out from the small crawlspace. Lance stretched his arms up to grab onto the edge of her maw, and biting his lip to not scream or cry out, he pulled his legs out, and he bit down on his lip so hard a metallic taste filled his mouth. He had done step one, hang on an angle, now for step two. The boosters on his back activated with a command grunted out and he sluggishly allowed himself to slide down the cool metal. Once his feet touched the ground, he shrieked and let himself fall into a crumpled heap, leaning against her maw. Lance took a deep breath and bite onto the strap of the bag, pushing himself out of Blue's jaws, using the boosters to gently push him, as well as digging his fingers into the dirt until his nails were split and cracked. Once he was a few feet away, he could bring himself to rest, lying with his cheek pressed against the ground, blood and dirt caking in his hair, his muscles burning and his chest aching. He wanted to be as far away from Blue's...body, as he could, but he didn't want to leave her there either. This distance was good, not great, but good enough. As good as good can be in a situation like this. It took a while for his heartbeat to become even and slow, and even longer for the constant buzzing in his head to stop. Lance wasn't sure when he blacked out, a cocktail of pain, sadness and stress knocking him out cold.

 

What Lance knew:

1) He was on a planet in the Angoria Rispa galaxy

2) His legs were severely broken, and not even that miracle liquid helped it much

3) He was alone

Lance counted what he knew on his fingers (he could almost hear Coran saying “ _it's more of an art than a science, really”_ ) and stayed in one spot the whole time. Exhausted and in great pain, physically and internally, he could barely move an inch without crying out. The air at least was breathable, and the sun was warm against his back, but the entire planet seemed to be made of the red gravel and dirt, like something out of Star Wars. When Lance peeled his boots off, one foot had a dead white bone sticking out of his ankle like an icicle. He puked to his side at the sight, even though he had barely anything in his stomach. With the gauze, the circulation in his legs was staunched a little by tying the fabric around the base of his thighs, but it didn't stop the fever that broke his forehead, that sweltered him into a sweat and left him gasping for air and water as his throat felt like dry sand. Even so, he still found himself talking to Blue. It was like talking down to a grave, comforting in the least, and it got a lot off his mind.

“Blue...am I gonna die here?”

Lance sniffed and lifted his head up to get a better look at her, but the motion made him see stars as blood rushed to his head, and he laid back down instead.

“Wouldn’t it be fittin’...if we died out here...together? Cliche, but it would be, right? Right Blue?”

No. She would want him to fight through this, until he was safe and sound. With every passing hour, a little bit of hope slipped from his fingers. He left the comm on at all times, for someone to hear him and pick him up, but also to record what could be his final moments.

“Blue...wake me up in the mornin’.”

It was still in the afternoon, but Lance was exhausted. He swallowed drily and let sleep take over.

 

It was the smell that woke him. Foul, sickly, and it burnt his nostrils like gasoline. Lance looked down, and almost gagged at the sight. Infection. His legs were still misshapen, but there was no mistaking the redness around his destroyed foot, and the greenish yellow pus that oozed from the wound and dribble down the bone. If the injury did not kill you, the infection probably would. The burn on his hand had blistered into a yellow bubble the size of a golfball. If help didn't come soon, he probably would die out here. Lance pressed the comm button again.

“Th-this is Lance...Lance Fuentes.”

He needed to tell them what he wanted done with him.

“I-I’m situated in th’ Angoria Rispa galaxy, w-we crashed and...and B-Blue is gone, she’s dead. She...she did it to avoid capture from Zarkon...and I-I’m not too g-good either...guys, i-if anyone’s hearin’ this, if I w-were to die...please, bring my body back to Earth...I love you guys, y-you’re my family...be strong, please...jus' find us.”

Lance sniffed and turned it off when his voice got too strained and frantic, he didn't want them to panic too much if they indeed got his message. He may never see them again. And he loved them like he loved Blue. If he were to die here, he wasn't even sure if he wanted them to pick up him and Blues' bodies, mangled bone and flesh, torn and ripped metal, that would surely crumble to dust if they were to even touch them. Lance shuddered at the thought. He sighed and stared up at the sky, it was early in the morning, and the deep blue sky was starting to lighten up a jade green, like the Altean sky in Blue's dreams, and the stars were scattered and littered over the sky, shining in ripples of colour that reached far beyond the horizon. The soft early rays of dawn glistened off Blue's metal, silhouetting her gigantic crippled shape against the horizon. If there was one thing he could do, he could smile at the sight. Beautiful and vast, and it reminded him of Blue. Lance stared until the dawn broke through and the stars stopped shining.

 

Corans bag had enough cotton pads and tape in the first aid kit, enough for him to dab a few drops of the miracle liquid onto the gash on his face, and patch it up as best as he could without wincing. He did a pretty good job, considering that he didn't have a mirror or anything to help him see it, and with his spit on his fingers, he wiped and peeled away the dried blood that crusted around his neck and the notch where his collarbones met. A few drops of the miracle liquid on his burnt hand helped the swelling, and it couldn't hurt for him to pry off the armour encasing his legs. He was terribly wrong. It hurt. _A lot_ . Lance winced and cried out, the split in his bottom lip splitting open again as his lip trembled.

“ _Fuckin'...hah, jesus...nnng.”_ _  
_

Lance's breathy moans only alerted him how exhausted his body was. For all odds, he should have been dead, it was impossible for him to survive a crash at that speed into solid ground. But he was not dead, he was still breathing, but a part of him wished he wasn't.

“Okay...okay, okay, _okay.”_ _  
_

Lance gulped and threw his head back. He just needed to peel away his leggings to take a look at the damage, and they were all crusted with blood and pus, it would be better for them to be rolled up. Lance took a roll of gauze and bit on his hard to muffle his screams, as he took the hems of his leggings and pulled them up, his heart racing and adrenaline flooding his veins. Once one leg was painstakingly pulled up to his mid thigh, did he allow himself to look. This was amputation level bad. There were knobs of bone pressing against his skin, and his kneecap looked to be shattered. A splinter of thighbone was sticking out from the top of his knee like a needle, and the skin was bruised, swollen, and heavily infected, the veins running a sickening green, the fact that he could even see his veins through his brown skin, terrified him to his core. Lance bit harder onto the gauze, wincing as he dropped the miracle liquid onto the exposed flesh, and his stomach lurched as runny pus oozed out of it and over his skin. The sheer pain made his vision blur and lights dance before his eyes. One leg was enough, Lance was sure that if he were to do the other one, he would black out.

“Fuck...did it. Blue, I did it.”

He gasped and laid back down, it was a small victory. The only problem, the heat was really getting to him, and it made him sweat more than his fever was. Blue's body had overhangs of shade, and she could provide shelter to the wind and sun. Lance was still in pain, but i was a lot more bearable, and he could probably crawl over to her head, where a third of it was run into the ground, but could provide shade. Her paw was on it's side, curled around slightly, next to her head, so he could get shade and shelter from both sides. How she still protected him. Lance didn't want to stay near her metallic corpse, but he had no choice here. Even the angels above couldn't hear him from here. So he rolled over onto his side, still with the gauze grit between his teeth, and with his broken nails digging into the Earth, he pushed and pulled himself sluggishly towards her, careful not to move or jolt his shattered legs, and after several ticks, he finally found himself resting against the inside of her paw, the bag to his side. Lance gasped and felt himself go slack. A small piece of shade, and it made this day so much easier. His head throbbed, his legs too, but it was cool. He took a few sips of water, and he didn't even care that it stung his lip. Lance brought his hand up to the beads around his neck, clutching them weakly, and rubbing his fingers over the grainy mahogany red wood. This was so much like the Island, but without the water, without the life and trees. What he would have given for them to be on the island right now, alive, surrounded by life and resources, they would have been happy. Exploring by day, walking through each other's dreams by night. The memories made his heart pang in his chest, and a lump settled in his throat. He watched the sun drip into the horizon.

“Blue? What if I die here? I haven't heard them...haven't seen them...they might be in the same situation as us.”

The stubborn lump stayed in his throat, and his heart raced, and his body grew hotter and hotter, and he couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears running down his face. When the stars came back, they felt lonelier than ever, and seemed just so far away.  
He did nothing else that night, until the sky was entirely dark blue. Then everything happened.  


 

Just as Lance felt his body sinking into sleep, his comm fizzed and crackled.

“ _-ance? I can't---'uddy, you there?”_ _  
_

Lance felt his heart drop. The voice was buzzing in and out of static, but he recognised the voice. Lance hissed and pressed the comm button again. Never in his life had been more happy to hear Hunk's voice.

“Hunk! I-I'm here! I'm here, Hunk!”

The line crackled as more voices filled his head.

“ _Lance! Than--god!”_ _  
_

Shiro.

“ _Omigosh omigosh omigos----we thought you wer---”_ _  
_

Pidge.

He heard someone crying on the other side, and that was Keith.

“ _Jesus christ---missed you, Lance.”_ _  
_

Lance felt his lip trembling again, hearing Keith, stubborn broody Keith, openly crying over the comm where everyone could hear him.

“Yeah, I missed all of you too.”

Lance sobbed, his voice barely a whisper.

“ _We're on our way--think you can hang on---couple more hours?”_ _  
_

Shiro asked him, worry laced into his voice and Lance could tell that he was also on the verge of crying too.

“Yeah, I got time.”

He lied. He might not even have minutes.

 _“We got your message---what happened?”_ _  
_

That was Hunk. Lance could barely bring his lips to curve and form words and his tongue felt heavy.

“I...don't...Blue, she's gone, but she's here with me.”

He choked out. The line was silent for what felt like a long time.

 _“Lance...are you okay?”_ _  
_

Pidge's voice wavered. Lance sniffed and his jaw quivered.

“No.”

He gulped and sniffed, it felt horrible, crying out into the comm, making them worried.

“ _Allura is with us, don't worry, we're here soon.”_ _  
_

Not soon enough, probably.

“Thank you. Please...help us.”

He switched the comm off and rested his shaking hand on Blue's claw, gripping the metal weakly, until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.

“...Blue.”

He murmured, as his eyes shot up towards the stars and blacked out.

 

 

Music. Music was what woke him up. Long, sad voices, all entwining together in perfect harmony, mournful and raw. It sent a chill running through him, and his eyes opened drowsily. He was on his stomach, barely breathing, as lights dazed him, and his vision was so blurred, but he could make out the castle, barely, and the singing grew louder, drawing him back into the world. Four blurry figures ran towards him, they were yelling, screaming, saying something, whatever it was, he couldn't hear them, couldn't make out their words. But two pairs of strong hands turned him over, and they were lifting them, cradling his frail body, taking him away from Blue.  
_They were taking him away from Blue._ _  
_

“Blue...Blue.”

He murmured, holding a hand out for her, the mournful song in his head growing louder.

“Shhh, Lance, it's okay, it's okay-"

“ _NO!_ It's _not_! We-we gotta take her, we can't leave her here! _Please,_ no! _Blue_!”

Lance thrashed his body, ignoring the pain that shredded his veins, his arm weakly reaching out to her, no, he couldn't leave her, he promised, after all they've gone through, he wasn't okay with this, he wasn't, he wasn't, he wasn't. Lance screamed and sobbed, hiccuping and choking out the words, pushing against the chest of whoever was holding him.

“ _Blue_! No, _please_! We gotta take her, she's all alone I-I gotta be with her! Let me go! _Please_!”

They were silent, and Lance stopped fighting back against them, he was too weak.

“ _Please...no…Blue”_ _  
_

He whimpered, as his vision flickered and blurred as he was dragged away from her twisted body, in the darkness of the early morning, his eyes spewed out tears, and he stared helplessly at her, until the Castle's doors opened and she was gone, far from him.

_“Blue.”_

He whispered before passing out again, ignoring the frantic cries around him, and the voices singing inside his head grew louder.

 

  
-

 

 _Janis Ian told it very well,_ __  
_Janis Joplin told it even better,_ __  
_Billie Holiday, even told it even better,_ __  
_We always, we always,_ _  
_ _We always have a story_

 

-

 

 _Those voices. He had heard them. Lance heard them before. When was it? Oh, yes, when he was finally found. How long ago was it? How was Blue? Where was he? He found himself in pure darkness. The singing...it filled his head, and it was coming from in front of him. Drawn to it, he started running, running towards the ethereal voices, their individual voices and notes all coming together to blend into one shrill, enchanting sound. At once, it was like someone had turned on the lights, and wind blew all around him, tussling his hair, whipping his face, and grass was pressed underneath his bare feet. He'd been here before, the grass, the blue and green sky, the endless rolling yellow hills, the stars that shone so brightly he could reach out and hold them. These were Blue's moors. All the voices echoed around him, and he was surrounded by lions, those beautiful, beautiful Altean lions. They were like Blue, but green, yellow, red and black, and he was standing in the middle of them, them towering above him, their heart-wrenching voices singing to the sky. Their song slowly faded, and all was silent. Then they all looked down at him. They weren't angry, no, they appeared sad. They were just like the way she described them, Red and Green, or rather, Donoma and Abetyu, were smaller and more lithe, Yellow, or Maka, had her jaw crooked, and was was as big as Blue, and Black, Winema, was the largest, but she had two large crimson wings, that encompassed them. Winema crouched down in front of Lance, he was barely up to her nose._ _  
_

_“You miss her too.”_ _  
_

_She blinked in response, and the others all crouched down to the ground, lying all amongst each other._ _  
_

_“As do you.”_ _  
_

_Winema had a low voice, like a bow along the strings of a cello._ _  
_

_“I'm sorry, I'm-"_ _  
_

_“No, you do not have to be sorry.”_ _It was Donoma that spoke, her voice husky, like Keith's. She purred and rested her head next to him._ _“She knew what she was doing, and she knew what she had to do, and what did she do? She did it.”_

_Maka curled around Lance's back, and he allowed himself to lean into her downy flank._ _“We're proud of you, and all we know, is that she is too.”_ _Maka nudged his arm with her nose, breathing warm air into his face._ _  
_

_“So...what'll become of me now?”_ _  
_

_The lions were silent._ _  
_

_“We are not certain, you have to find that out for yourself.”_ _Abetyu comforted, joining Maka in the pile of bodies, licking her paw._ _  
_

_“But she's gone, and you know this, what will happen to Voltron? To this whole alien destiny shitshow that somehow...that somehow I became apart of. I was never fit for Blue, but she chose me anyway, why?”_ _  
_

_His voice wavered and faltered. Winema sighed and stared at him directly, her large yellow eyes staring into his._ _  
_

_“Do you what Blue stood for?”_ _  
_

_Allura was going to tell him, many months ago, but he just had to cut her off._ _  
_

_“No, I was being an idiot at the time.”_ _  
_

_He thought she was crying, but she was laughing, a low sound that reverberated through him._ _  
_

_“One thing she stood for was promise. She looked at you in that cave, and she saw someone who had a future ahead of them, someone who could do great things, someone who, yes, may not be the best, but they would be the best. That's what she saw in you, she saw a fighter, Lance, and she chose you.”_

_All his life, he was being told by others just how_ lucky _he was for things to happen to him, how he shouldn't have deserved them, getting into the Garrison, becoming a pilot, being born. Being told he was something, it was too much._

_“Little one, don't cry.” Winema pleaded back._ _  
_

_Lance dipped his head and wiped his eyes. Out of everything to happen in his short life, Blue was one of the best._ _  
_

_“I'm sorry...what if she was wrong?”_ _  
_

_“She wasn't, just look at yourself, you've already gone further than most humans have, you already have shown yourself worthy, and you've just travelled half the universe in an alien warship, surviving together against all odds, how beautifully magnificent is that? We would like to thank you, for keeping her happy.”_ _  
_

_Lance weakly smiled at that, rubbing his eyes, but still staring at the ground. Abetyu licked the top of his head, and Donoma rubbed her nose against his arm._ _  
_

_“The others will be waiting for you, but for now, celebrate her life with us, you are a part of us, after all.”_ _  
_

_The lions all curled around him, sharing their warmth and love, and he leaned back to stare at the stars one more time. Their song resumed, angelic and haunting, singing in a language he would never learn. How strange the sound. It was like gravity, drawing him in, like a lullaby._ _  
_ _Lance didn't want to go._

 

_~_

 

The glass of the healing pod crumbled and flaked off, and air filled Lance's lungs. His legs felt like goop, and his head felt light.

“...Blue.” He murmured and fell forwards.

“Lance!”

A pair of arms caught him and straightened him up. Lances vision spun for a bit, and then righted itself up.

“Sh-Shiro?” Lance was grateful he was here. It was dark, and he was in the healing chambers. Feeling returned to his legs, and he managed to stand up. “Couldn't sleep?”

Shiro shook his head, then pulled him in for a hug. It was nice, human contact, and Lance leaned into his chest and tried to wrap his thin arms around him.

“It's been three weeks.” Three weeks? When he almost got blown apart, he only spent five minutes inside the pod. “You...you really had us worried there, you wouldn't stop screaming, crying...god, it's good to have you back.”

Shiro's voice wavered and he held Lance's frail body closer.

“Can you hear the singing?”

The singing was still in his head, quieter, but it still persisted.

“Not anymore.”

Oh, he was the only one.

“Where's Blue?”

Shiro gulped, but didn't say anything.

“Shiro, where's Blue?”

He felt the man sigh, then break out of the embrace.

“You shouldn't, it's pretty bad.”

“She's already gone, I just wanna pay some respect.”

He nodded in understanding eventually.

“She's not in the hangars, but I can show you where.”

 

The door slid open, and Lance prepared himself for the sight. He felt nothing. Blue's head was pointed towards them, parts of her lying around the room, almost untouched as when she crashed. Dirt and grime cake her metal, giving it a rusted look. Lance stepped forwards and rested against her nose, hugging her, even though his arms couldn't reach around. He found himself staring into the space between those eyes.

“We'll meet again, in some other life...I promise.”

He whispered and kissed the metal before heaving himself off.

“That's all?”  
  
“Anythin' else I needa do?”

“...not really.”

Lance took one last glance at her before the door closed behind them.

 

Him and Shiro found themselves in the kitchen. Food goo never tasted so good.

“What went on out there?”

“You first.”

Shiro looked taken aback for a brief second.

“Me and Keith crashed together, on a Galra controlled planet. We were okay though, and we managed to escape. It took about two days flying East until we found Hunk, who was already making a name for himself on an inhabited planet. Pidge found us a week later, she was shaken, but relieved. It was then Allura was able to locate us. We couldnt find you though, believe me, basically turned the galaxy upside down. We gained some hope though, a hermit on a planet, cant remember the name, had said he had seen you two weeks before, and you were heading to Zafrani. We were obviously too late. We were barely there when Hunk detected a distress beacon from Blue. Did you set it off?” Blue must have, he definitely didnt do it. Lance shook his head. “Well, we found it, but it didn't look too good. On the edge of the galaxy, we got your messages-"

“All of them?”

Shiro nodded.

“And you didn't sound too good either, we took out a few Galra fleets before we found you and Blue. We thought you were dead.” Shiro bit his lip. “Honestly, you were so...so...I can't even say it, but honestly? We thought it was a body pick up.”

“For Blue it was.”

Lance added bitterly. He stared down at the green goop and saw his own reflection staring back at him, hollow and drowsy.

“What makes you say she's dead?”

At least Shiro was a good listener, and wouldn't call him crazy.

“I would...but I would like to tell everyone, it's a long story.”

Shiro smiled softly, ever so understanding and respectful.

“Where did you get those beads from, anyway?”

He was still wearing them? Lance reached up and touched them again.

“I got them from Blue. I dunno how she did it, we were dreamin', an' she was with me, on Earth, we were at home, in Cuba, doin' silly things, eatin' fruit an' ice-cream, visitin' family, and I got her some beads in my dream, woke up, and I was holdin' them.”

Lance clutched them closer to him.

“You must think I'm crazy.”

“What? No, that's beautiful.” Lance didn't look back up at him. “Did Winema ever talk to you?”

Shiro gave him a look of confusion. “I'm sorry, who?”

Lance guilty looked back down.

“Tell you guys in the mornin', I'm tired.”

“The others are still asleep, see you in the mornin'?” Shiro got up and pushed his chair in.

“Yeah, oh and Shiro?”

“Yes?”

Lance hesitated, he didn't think his words through, but he had to say what hes been wanting to say for a while. “I just wanna say thanks, thanks for puttin' up with me, sorry for actin' like a dick to you since I got out o' the pod, you honestly don't deserve to be treated like shit. You're like a second dad to me, and...I never got to thank you for that. I mean, you've listened to my bullshit, you've always given me good advice I almost never listen to and a shoulder to lean on, and I guess...I guess I never really said thanks.”

The older man seemed frozen, not expecting Lance's confession, but then he gifted him a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, and I guess I could say...thanks for being like a son to me.”

Lance half smiled, Shiro leaving through the door with a thumbs up.  
Lance never remembered his heartbeat being this slow.

 

 

When he got up in the morning, the first thing he did was stare into the en-suite mirror. He had no idea what to expect, his eyes were sunken in more than the last time he looked, and he looked hollow, and his skin was darker, and he had more freckles that splattered his nose and cheekbones, and a long bumpy pale peach scar ran from his temple to the hollow of his cheek. Lance didn't feel anything when he stared at his reflection in the first time for what felt like forever, instead, he felt as hollow as he looked. He went into the unknown, and came back changed. Of course he was gonna look different. He sighed and pulled on his jeans, which were folded neatly in the drawer of his wardrobe, and a teal blue tank top that was folded underneath it. Corans bag was on his bed, just as he left it, and the flower seeds from the island were still in their pocket, as well as the mango stone. He took the mango stone and slipped it into his pocket. When he pressed the door plate, everyone was waiting outside his door. It took two seconds for it to click in for them, standing frozen just looking at each other, before they all cried out his name and almost crushed him in the largest group hug he was a part of. Even Allura and Coran were there.

“Guys, I'm still here! I'm not dead yet!”

“Oh, we _know_ you're here, god, it's been a while!” Pidge laughed and wrapped her small arms around his middle.

“Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod you're alive!” Hunk held him close to his chest, planting small kisses on his head. Lance laughed and let him, he was his best friend after all.

Keith stood in front of him, his lip trembling. He didn't say anything, but leaned in to hug Lance, pressing his face into the crook of his neck.

“Yeah, I missed you too, Keith.”

It was odd, seeing Keith actually showing raw emotion around Lance for once, but he didn't even feel like teasing him for it, because god knows it he missed Keith too.

“Lance!”

Allura and Coran cried out together, both pressing themselves against his sides. Shiro snorted and also wrapped his longer arms around all of them. His friends-no, his _family._

“God, you guys...I love you all, you know that?”

Lance found it in him to laugh, and let them smother him in their love. He wasn't sure if he would ever get to experience it again.

 

 

He told them everything. About him and Blue, hearing their gasps and watching their awe. He told about the Island, how it was toxic but they would be dead sooner without it, how they drifted through space for what felt like days, he even lifted his shirt and rolled his jeans up to show the bumpy scars, and Hunk stroked the bumpy pale one that ran across his cheek, joking that him and Shiro could be twins in facial scars. They froze when he mentioned that him and Blue were talking to each other, making conversation.

“She...she did that?” Allura stammered.

“Yeah, and we were dreamin' together, sounds weird. But it was nice. She showed me her home back in Altea, before her life was put into Voltron, and I showed her around my home.”

“Earth?” Allura guessed.

“Yeah, Varadero beach, in Cuba, I grew up there before I got into the Garrison. We just did silly things, talkin' and eatin' fruit and ice-cream, and she got to meet my mother and sister, but look, look at this.” He lifted his neck up to show the beads that hung around his neck, earning a gasp and awestruck murmurs from everyone. “She got me this, from the dream, oh, and she got me something else-"

He dug his hand into his pocket, and pulled out the mango stone.

“How, how did she do that?” Hunk gasped, staring at it with his jaw dropped.

Lance turned it over in his hand, studying it. “I don't know.”

Lance handed it over to Coran and Pidge, who studied it closely.

“Lance, you said she was talking to you, none of the lions have ever done that before, not even to me.” Allura looked wondered and happy at that. “She may have found her perfect paladin!”

She smiled and laughed softly, like a bell tinkling.

“Why doesn't Red ever talk to me?” Keith deadpanned and folded his arms.

“Oh yeah, she told me about you, Keith, you and Red specifically. Red loves you, believe me, she does. Blue said...she said that her and the lions talk to each other, and she said that Red really loves you, sure, she won't admit it, but Blue said that it was pretty easy to just notice it. Like, you two have a lot in common, both broody, hell, you were both probably born in a volcano. Try callin' Red Donoma next time you're with her, she'll like that. I think.”

The look on Keith's face was priceless, like someone had just given him a compliment he wasn't expecting.

“Thanks, I-I'll remember that. And I am not _that_ broody.”

Lance winked at him, snorting when Keith groaned.

“Oh, oh! Did she say anything about ol' Yellow?” Hunk bubbled, his fists over his mouth.

“She sure did! Yellow is the mother hen, and she was lovin', carin', generous and great with kids, and she said that with you pilotin' her, it was like having two Yellows around instead of one."

Hunk smiled so hard that if his smile stretched anymore, he would be the cheshire cat.

“And Green! Don't forget Green!” Pidge reminded Lance.

“Okay, so Green was the most youngest and most energetic, and she had a habit of wandering off, quite a lot apparently. Green's curiosity always got the better of her, and Black 'had to drag her back by the tail'.”

“Yeah, that sounds like us.” Pidge laughed and crossed her arms.

“Oh, and she told me about Black too, Black is, like, this super motherly figure who always gives advice and treats anyone younger than her like her own cubs.” Shiro threw his arms up in the air with a sigh of resignation, and a giggle from almost everyone. “But!...Blue said that she was a born leader, and she was gentle, and she was proud...dude, she even has _wings_ , two massive feathered red wings. Blue sorta mentioned that Black looked after her when she was a cub, and gave her that best bit of advice she ever had; ' _there's only one way to save the world...be yourself'_.”

  
Lance felt his voice waver and falter on the last words. The room also had a silence settle on it. Blue followed that advice until the end, and even though it was good advice, even the thought of it made Lance's heart drop and a lump settle in his throat.

“It's okay, you've told us all there is to know.”

Shiro comforted and rubbed his shoulder. He really didn't want to say what happened after that. Didn't want to bring up the details, reopen old wounds, think about the time spent all alone with only her mangled body for company.

“Yeah, not much happened after that.”

He lied. If the others could tell, they kept their mouths shut.

 

The following days were spent quietly. Lance went around the castle, thanking everyone, hanging out with them, resolving old problems. He didn't want to leave with any hard feelings, no matter how trivial. Everyday, he felt his heartbeat grow weaker, getting slower, and it showed. How whenever he was training with Keith and he got light headed and ran short of breath after only five minutes so they were forced to sit down for a few minutes, he blamed it on his legs ('healing pods, right?'). When he was cooking with Hunk, and how he would often blank out like a zombie until Hunk splashed water on his face ('Sorry, just got a lil' woozy, I'll be fine, don't worry!') Even talking with Pidge tired him out, and she ended up repeating almost everything she said more than once ('I'm alright, you just got smarter, that's all!') and even hanging out with Shiro, no matter what they were doing, Shiro ended up carrying him to his room whenever he lost his footing again ('Sorry Shiro, it's not you, I'm just outta it lately.' 'I understand.') Lance found himself venting with Coran a lot more, thanking him for the bag that saved his life, and reminiscing about home, while Coran shared stories of Altea. Lance let Coran ramble on about his life back home, boot camp, serving under King Alfor, and his own long-gone family. Lance actually learnt quite a lot, and he found himself listening to him more and more out of fascination. Lance also spent more time with Allura, helping her out with the castle, and talking about Blue. She also felt it when Blue died, and they both shared that emptiness, the emptiness that felt like a part of your very being was missing.

 

One night, Lance went back down to the basement, where Blue's gigantic body was resting. He quietly padded through the halls, and opened the doors. It was dim, and there were no windows. Whenever he was around her, the singing in the back of his mind grew louder, and it was almost comforting to listen to. He found himself leaning against her closed maw, fingers rubbing circles along the dented cool metal.

“Hey Blue...I know y'can't hear me anymore.”

He sighed and bit his trembling lip, shivers running amok up and down his spine.

“But we had a lotta great times, didn't we?”

It was like talking down to a grave, all he needed was a bouquet of flowers, lilies would be nice, and some rain pouring in the background, but here in the castle, it was quiet apart from the constant hum of the Castle's engines, and when you stripped the scene down to its bare essentials, it was a boy sitting against the body of the one he mourned.

“Y'know, I never expected any of this. If you were to tell me a year ago that one day, I'd be a defender of the universe, I would be your paladin, and I would see the universe, I would have laughed. Jus' look at us now, man.”

Lance sunk down a little closer to the floor, his heartbeat slow and heavy, and it seemed to sink along with him.

“Out of all the people in this universe, trillions of people far more better than me and you chose me...thank you.”

Lance shuffled over to Blue's paw, lying on it's side, curled up in a ball into it, his chin resting on his knees.

“And now that I've met you, and you've been a part of me, and now you're gone...I don't know what to do. We were jus' gettin' started, there was still so much more ahead of us, so much more we could've done.”

Lance blinked and sighed, reaching out and wrapping his hand around one of her claws. It was quiet, and the singing in his head was like a lullaby.

“I miss you.”

He whispered.

 

 

It took ages for them to find Lance in the morning, until Hunk had the idea to go down to the basement, alone. When he opened the doors, he sighed sadly to see his friend curled up on the floor next to Blue, still holding her claw tightly.

“Lance, you gotta get up.”

Hunk padded over and crouched down, cringing when he held Lance's shoulder and he could feel bone. Lance was skinny, but never like this. When Lance opened his eyes slightly and peered up at Hunk without moving his head, Hunk felt like crying. Lance's eyes were yellow-ish, his face was hollow, and his body was still so frail, even after a more than a week in the healing pod. Lance was dying. His friend was dying.

“Lance.” Hunk said it in a quieter voice this time and scooped up his friend as carefully as he could.

“Can't I stay a lil' longer?” Lance stretched and rubbed his eyes drowsily. He was so light and fragile in Hunk's arms.

“Buddy, this is unhealthy. You're not well, you know that.”

Lance sighed in defeat. “I know...I should've died out there.”

Hunk knew that Lance meant that he honestly should have been dead. Lance shouldn't have survived that long, so sick and broken. It was only a miracle they found him barely hanging on for life. Maybe that was why he was given a second chance. To say a proper good-bye.

“You survived for a reason, Lance.”

Lance tried his best to smile, but even Hunk couldn't smile now.

“You're too good, Hunk, you know that?”

“Yeah, you told me, like, four times this week.”

“I did.” Lance stared back at Blue. “You and I both know, I'm not gonna make it.”

Even healing pods, in all of their technology, couldn't heal Lance.

“I-I know.” Hunk's eyes felt glassy, and he looked away.

“I'd like to go back to Earth, y'know? It would be nice...to see the rest of my family.”

Hunk swallowed thickly. “Okay, we better get outta here though.”

Lance nodded. “Seeya Blue, see ya 'round.”

It hurt, seeing your friend accept defeat after getting so far, seeing them die slowly, day by day. They left the room quietly, leaving it in the state they arrived in.

 

“Hunk? Did you find him-?”

Pidge cut herself off as she saw Lance being cradled by Hunk, the others also dropped what they were doing and ran up to them, they didn't even need to speak, their downcast faces said it all.

“Guys, I know I'm hot, but if you look any longer, I'll have to pay for your burnt retinas.”

Lance joked, a weak smile forming on his face. Hunk carefully helped him to his feet, and still Lance leaned onto him for support. The silence in the room was deafening.

“So what's gonna happen?” Keith broke the quiet.

“I...I'd like to go back to Earth, y'know, see my family...I miss my mum's hugs.”

Shiro nodded. “I'll ask Allura, I'll ask her what she can do.”

“I'll come with you.” Lance stepped forwards, holding onto Shiro's arm.

“Okay.”  
  


 

Allura was in the control room, tinkering away at something with Coran.

“Lance! Shiro! You're-" Coran took one look at Lance and he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, tapping Allura's shoulder, and she was equally speechless once she set eyes on them.

“Allura, Coran, think you can open a wormhole for Earth?” Shiro asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Lance didn't even have to explain. Allura instantly nodded and walked over.

“Lance, you're-"

“Dying.”

Her hands were cupped around her mouth, and she leaned down to hug him closely.

“Of course, that can be arranged.” She wiped her eye and smiled weakly. “I can set up a ship, who's going with you?”

“I'd like everyone, but…”

Coran and Allura had to stay with the castle, so they couldn't come with.

“We have a ship big enough for five, get the others, I'll be in Hangar Bay One.”

“Thank you, Coran.” Shiro finished, Coran nodded and ran out the door.

“Hey Allura? Thank you, I'm so happy I got to meet you.” Lance even had it in him to wink at her, and Allura at least pretended to look amused. “One last hug?”

“One last hug.” She stepped over to embrace him again, holding him tightly for a few seconds before she ran out the door.

 _“All paladins to Hangar Bay One.”_ Coran's voice called out on the intercom system.

“We better get down there, can you walk?” Shiro held out a hand to assist Lance.

“Can I talk? Yes, let's go.”

Shiro smiled at him, lending an arm as they headed down to the Hangar.

 

 

When they got there, a ship was all ready for them. Pidge was already in the pilot's seat. It was similar to the one Coran and Hunk flew in to the Balmera with, just a lot bigger with a few extra seats. Hunk and Keith had already taken two of the back seats, both glassy eyed and tense.

“Coran, I can never thank you enough. Thanks for listenin' to me all those times. Hugs?”

Coran let a few fat tears fall as he hugged Lance for the last time. “One last hug before you go, remember us, boy!”

Lance smiled and nodded, letting Keith help him up into the ship. Coran waved at them, smiling but with tears in his eyes, waving until the airlock had sucked them out.

“ _Paladins, you have three hours, good luck, and thank you.”_ _  
_

Princess Allura's voice echoed on the comm and a swirling blue and silver wormhole opened in front of them, and Pidge slowly flew in, Shiro at her side. The usual pulling sensation made Lance's stomach lurch, but it settled as they flew out into calm skies, the Earth never looked so beautiful from space. It would be the afternoon in Cuba right now, and Lance gulped, holding the beads around his neck.

“Lance, I'm sorry I was a dick to you.” Keith choked, holding his hand.

“It's alright, we were both dicks, no hard feelin's.”

Lanced winked at him and kissed his cheek. Keith gulped and rested against his shoulder, still holding his hand tightly with his bare hand.

“Oh c'mon, I'm gonna cry.” Hunk sniffed and leaned against Lance's right shoulder.

“Hang on in there guys, Lance, where did you wanna go?” 

“Varadero beach, Cuba, thanks.”

Pidge nodded and keyed in a few coordinates. “We'll be there soon.”

 

 

They landed on a cliff overlooking the beach, serene and calm. It was more beautiful than Lance ever remembered. The sun was up, the waves were rolling against the golden sand, and the summer breeze felt so lovely on his face. Keith managed to catch him as he fell out of the ship, and Lance uttered a brief thanks. They were all on the verge of tears. This was just like his dream with Blue, everything to the weather and the smell of salty air was just right. Lance kicked his shoes off, feeling the soft green grass under his feet. Lance looked over the roads of the town, finding the one street he knew off by heart.

“There, we gotta get to there.”

He pointed a quivering finger at the street, and his feet started moving on his own, but his legs wobbled and swayed, and Hunk and Keith were at his side in an instant.

“Take it slow, don't tire yourself out too much.” Hunk offered. The sound of the door clicking behind them indicated that Shiro and Pidge were out, and the ship was cloaked thanks to Pidge. “Okay, gentle steps.”

It took them a while to get down off the grassy cliff, but they managed to get down, without Lance losing too much of his breath. Hunk and Shiro ended up carrying him for half of the way, Pidge and Keith talking gently and offering support, saying how much they loved and cared about him. The singing of the lions in his head grew louder, and it was the same song they sung for Blue, a farewell song, their farewell. He felt his eyes well up as they passed house after house. He reached up to touch the beads hanging around his neck.

“Guys, please, let me walk, I see her.”

Just like in his dreams, Rosa Fuentes was hanging clothes up on the line outside their house, strong and bold, her curly frizzy hair in her usual bun, tied back with a red handkerchief, her red checkered pinafore and creamy blouse was the same, freckles on her sun kissed skin and she was barefoot. His newfound family were either holding his hands, or their hands were on his shoulders encouragingly. Lance gulped and slowly walked forwards, pain in every step, as his fingers unlocked the gate and it swung open with a creak, and he was standing there. She was even more beautiful in the flesh. There was a gasp from Pidge as she noticed they were almost the same, same deep blue eyes, same brown skin, and they shared the same smile. Rosa heard it open and looked over her shoulder, locking eye contact with him. A moment dragged out, mother and son, after almost a year, just staring at each other. Lance felt his chin quiver and his eyes water.

“Mama?”

The word was so weak, it may have not been there at all. Her jaw trembled and she sniffed, dropping the wicker clothes basket and running towards him with outstretched arms.

“My baby boy!”

She cried out and hugged him closely, and they were both crying, and they were all crying, and Lance had the ones he called his family all around him, arms and tears all around him and his mother, embracing after so long. Lance felt his legs fail, and they were both hugged closely on the grass.

“Ma...I love you, so, so much.”

“My beautiful Lance, I love you too.”

Lance smiled and took a look at everyone around him, all beautiful people he was just so happy to know throughout his short time. For the last time he smiled, and closed his eyes, in a beautiful moment of pure bliss and joy, surrounded by those he loved.  
And he was happy.

 

-

 

_“Blue?”_

_“Little one.”_ __  
_  
_ _-_

 

 _And the greatest story that I know is the one that I'm supposed to go out with,_ __  
_And the greatest story that I know is the one that I'm supposed to go out with,_ __  
_And the greatest story that I know is the one that I'm supposed to go out with,_ _  
_ _And the greatest story that I know is the one that I'm supposed to go out with,_

  
_And the greatest stories that we know are the ones that we're supposed out with._  
__  
  
  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this far, you still have full permission to yell and scream at me! I just want to thank everyone who has read, commented and left kudos, including you, and that I am still active on my tumblr, so come around for a chat/scream about cartoons/leaves requests and prompts. See you guys around!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for getting this far! Please tell me how to improve! Please come for a chat on my tumblr @gingernutting where I take requests and prompts!


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